Searching
by ARose94
Summary: "I wasn't like this before. Ever. I was never a clumsy person. I wasn't even that shy! But somehow Embry Call had managed to turn me into a complete and total mess." FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! (Embry x hybrid OC imprint x Felix)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****This world belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own anything, even though I wish I did :)**

**AN -*******The main character is NOT a 'Mary Sue' i.e. a 'Bella'. She may come off rather helpless and weak in the first chapters, but she will prove you wrong ;) *****

**Full**** Summary:** May Miller is half vampire, half human. She has just reached maturity at 8 years old, being physically 18. Soon vampires from all around the world are hunting her down. She flees her home in Europe and end up meeting the Cullens along with the wolf pack. Embry Call seems to be drawn to her and Renesmee becomes her best friend. Just when May's life seems to be getting better, more vampires arrive in forks with a secret vendetta. The two wolf packs are in dispute as Sam wishes to retire phasing and this leads Embry to once again question who his father is. Just when it couldn't get any worse, the Volturi arrive and Felix is assigned to protect May. (Embry x OC imprint x Felix Volturi story)

** Prologue**

**(Embry's POV)**

May was the only one who got me. She understood the good and the bad in me. She recognized the greatness she swore she could see in me, just below the surface. She also acknowledged my dark side— the part I tried so hard to keep hidden. The small, miniscule shred of my existence that threatened to break free. The animal in its cage.

My wolf.

She saw him and didn't run away.

She cared for me as deeply as I did for her, despite our ups and downs. God, she was strong. She'd never admit it herself, though, but that girl could get vicious. I'd never forget the time she dismembered a rogue right in front of me. It was the night we were trapped in the forest after the bonfire. We were in my truck when the rogue vampires got to us, throwing my vehicle right into the middle of the massive cluster of trees. She saved me. Pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Dark coffee colored hair was flying wildly around her face. Her gentle features were twisted in concentration as her blue eyes locked onto their target. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

And now she was dying.

I knew _he_ wasn't good. He wasn't to be trusted. Sure— he provided strength and was another fighter to help us all out...but now I hated him. I'd rip him limb from limb. The part of me that was human cringed at the thought. May would be distraught if I killed _him_. She didn't love him, that was certain, but she still cared _about _him. That was the thing about May. She cared too much. She somehow managed to have enough compassion in her heart to fit him in. She was too kind to him, in my opinion. She was always nice to everyone and anyone. Oh, how I loved that woman.

Slowly, he would die for what he was doing to her. The animal part of me snarled, frothing at the mouth due to the scene before us. I'm going to kill him. Too bad I currently can't move. My body screamed in protest. My mind screamed in horror.

He was killing my imprint.

Felix was killing May.

**Chapter 1**

**(May's POV)**

I ran.

I barely knew where I was going. I was afraid, terrified, actually.

Just hours ago, I was home. Now, I was fleeing from everything I knew and loved. Tears freely poured from my eyes and were quickly whisked off of my cheeks as the wind hit my face while I ran. I was a blur, speeding faster than a bullet. Despite my speed, the wind felt like gentle caresses.

I was leaving Europe and I was running to its western coast as fast as I could, with nothing but a backpack filled with necessities and my most prized possessions. They were kept in the pack and sealed in giant, zip-locked freezer bags. I knew otherwise they would be ruined from the saltwater.

I would have to make my escape through the ocean. It would take me a few hours, but I could do it. I had to.

Earlier in the day, before any of this seemed possible, I was happy. Me and Uncle Ted had just come from the fair and he had won a small stuffed animal for me. It was a sheep, no larger than my face. It was as soft as a cloud of cotton. Although mentally and physically I was an 18 year old young woman, I was only alive on this earth for 8 years. I still had the heart of a child and instantly loved the sheep the second I laid eyes on it. Uncle Ted had surprised me with it as we were walking home that night and I had screamed in delight and hugged him, repeating words of gratitude over and over.

I smiled sadly now, knowing that that may have been the last time I would ever hug him. Yet, I was glad I had the opportunity to have had it at all.

My smile faded though as I remembered shortly after we arrived home, everything had gone down hill. Ted was downstairs in the kitchen, preparing my favorite dinner, and I was upstairs in my room when the front door had burst open. I heard the crash and instantly everything Ted had warned me about popped into my head. He told me, should the situation ever arise, I was to run. 'Run…and don't look back. Ever' he had urged me that fateful night.

My sensitive hearing kicked in as I heard Ted and the intruder fighting through the house, breaking things while trying to get hits on each other. Instincts swarmed my mind and I was thrown into action. I slipped on my shoes and jacket and reached under the bed for my emergency backpack.

I had it packed ever since Ted first informed me this day might soon happen. I threw open my window just as my ears picked up on the assailant snarling at my uncle, _"WHERE IS SHE?" _and I could hear Ted's labored breaths as he struggled to fight him off. Silent tears slid down my face as I debated leaving him to a fate unknown to me. My debate ended when I heard a sound similar to a car being ripped to shreds. I pictured my uncle being torn to pieces and it nearly broke my heart. I was about to leap from the window, but at the last second I grabbed the sheep from my bed side table. I crammed it into my backpack and jumped out the window. My knees bent slightly as my legs easily absorbed the shock from the two-story fall. The jump would have injured any other human, but I was not fully human...

Coming back to the present out of my memories, my nose caught the scent of salty sea air. Just a few more seconds of running and I quickly reached the shore line.

I stopped in front of the water, closed my eyes and sighed as I slowly breathed in the sea air and listened to the waves. I tilted my head back and stretched out my neck to the open breeze that dried my tears. The sun's rays warmed my skin and my long, thick hair began to flutter in the wind.

My eyes snapped open and determination sunk in, determination to survive and fight in memory of my uncle Ted. I sprinted into the waves, cutting through them with ease. As the water passed my waist, I bent forward slightly with my arms in front of me, took in a large gulp of sea air and then dived into the cool ocean. My powerful limbs set to work, my arms steering and slicing through the water while my legs kicked with great force. I was already falling into a steady rhythm: _kick, push, kick, push. _I still needed to breath, but far less often than regular humans. I figured I could swim a few miles between each breath of air. I would reach my destination in a few hours.

My mind began to wander as I swam through the water, hearing the soft rumble of the ocean's movements envelope me. I thought back a few months ago to the day Ted warned me that we could be in danger: Ted had come home from work and knocked on my bedroom door. I let him in and he sat down on my bed with a sigh and I could instantly tell that something was wrong. Worry lines creased his porcelain forehead. He almost never worried; he was a vampire and had been so sure in our safety for such a long time. I quickly began to think that the Volturi had changed their minds and thought of me as a threat. Uncle Ted knew by the look on my face that that was the thought to cross my mind. He simply shook his head and I sighed slightly in relief.

I thought it could have been the Volturi because Ted had told me the story years ago about my birth and how he had saved my life. He wasn't really my uncle, but a caregiver.

Ted told me long ago that my father and I were brought to the Volturi a few days after I was born because I was half vampire and half human. The Volturi told my father they would have killed us both, but apparently a case similar to mine had occurred a few months prior in the United States in a town named "Forks". They deemed that I posed no threat to them and announced I was to live. My father, was not so lucky. He was promptly executed. This is where my uncle, Ted Miller, comes into the picture. He had worked for the Volturi for a short while and had volunteered to care for me. He raised me like a daughter, but urged me to call him 'Uncle Ted'.

That was the only thing I could think of as a threat to us and Ted's worry puzzled me. He then told me that he had an anonymously been tipped off as he was leaving work one night. Ted said the person had warned him that when I reached 18 and stopped aging, people…as in other vampires… would start looking for me. Uncle Ted wouldn't look me in the eyes as sorrow dominated his features. He said we were in danger and people wouldn't stop until they reached me, but he would tell me more when the time was right. Were people coming to kill me for reasons unknown? What had I ever done to anyone?

Well, apparently the time was never right for Ted because our house was broken into just a few hours ago and now I was running away before he even had the chance to finish telling me what was going to happen to us...or to me. Earlier, I thought I had nowhere to go but then I remembered that in the story of how Ted became my uncle, the town of Forks had a similar situation.

I, May Miller, would be going there...to Forks to seek help, understanding, and closure.

**AN- Questions to be answered as the story progresses: what really happened to May's parents? Why are vampires from all over the world searching for her? Why did Uncle Ted volunteer to be her caregiver? Find out as the story progresses!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ****This world belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own anything, even though I wish I did :)**

**AN - Thank you everyone for reading! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

I had been swimming constantly for about two hours now.

Occasionally I had to slowly surface for air when the dull ache in my chest became too uncomfortable and I also took that opportunity to scan the area around me for any signs of danger. I don't know why I was being so paranoid, I was in the middle of the ocean for crying out loud. My instincts must have been in overload because I couldn't smell when I was underwater and trying would most likely result in coughing fits as the water filled my lungs. I wasn't completely human, but I knew that I could still risk drowning if I wasn't being careful.

I was under the water for so long that the swimming motions almost became second nature. I didn't have to focus at pumping my arms and kicking anymore. I just acted. This let my mind drift constantly. I was frequently letting my mind take me back to just a couple of hours ago. It felt like I was trapped with nothing but my memories to haunt me.

I could have done something.

I could have stayed and fought! My uncle Ted might have had a chance! Instantly, regret flooded my emotions and I bit my lip to keep the sobs at bay. I thought through all the possible scenarios that could have been, but most of them risked both of us dying and that would tarnish Uncle Ted's sacrifice.

He gave up his life..._for me_.

After another hour of self doubt and emotional pain, I finally came to the conclusion that there was no way I could go back in time and change what had happened. I could only stay strong and fight. I had to fight for me, and mostly for Ted. I promised him on the day that he had warned me of our upcoming danger, I would always try to stay alive. I vowed to my self that I would continue to struggle and push through this for him, the only person I considered family.

Not long after I made this new promise to myself, I noticed the growing discomfort in my chest. I had to get another gulp of air again, and soon.

I arched my back gracefully, kicked off, and slowly tilted my face up to the glittering surface. The ocean looked beautiful when you were submerged and could glance up at the sun's light dancing on it's glasslike ripples. My face finally broke through and I could feel the cool wind on my skin. I blinked the water from my eyes and the surrounding area quickly became clear for me to see and I inhaled the fresh breeze. Capturing the fresh, salty scent rising off the water, I felt safer. I could sense no threat near to me and then I scanned the view for any sign of progress. I had started to do this regularly for the past hour because I knew I should be getting close to the United States' eastern coast.

Finally! My sharp eyes glimpsed the waves crashing on the shore. I figured I had between 10 and 15 miles of water left between me land. I could reach it in under 20 minutes.

Suddenly, my nerves started to get the better of me. I began to worry about the future. I wasn't concerned on the journey at all; I could stop someplace and get a map to Forks. I was troubled because I didn't know what awaited me once I got there. Who was I supposed to look for? I knew there was a case like mine, but who was this mystery person? He or she might not want to be found. What if they were dangerous?

Now, I had to put my questions aside in my brain and I would have to focus on them later. I was reaching land.

As the water became shallower I noticed there were people on the beach. _Crap. _How would people react to a porcelain skinned, fully clothed girl rising out of the ocean with dark, stringy hair? Would they think I was a ghost? Hoping not to frighten anyone, I decided my best chance was to actually get out of the water near a large group of people and make up a believable story.

When I was about 15 feet away from this group, half of them began to notice me as I approached them. One woman in a black bikini laid eyes on my and instantly her eyebrows shot up in surprise. _Showtime._

"Ugh!" I grumbled as I slowly trudged through the waves. I decided that the dramatic route was probably best. "I cant believe my brother pushed me from the boat and left me!" I screamed, thrashing my arms around for more effect. Turning to the woman while feigning frustration I said, "Brothers: can't live with them, can't live...well...I can't live with mine." The shock on her face quickly changed to understanding. She sighed and motioned to her right at a large man that was dunking a child while chuckling inappropriately like a 9 year old boy playing with a box of matches. "Tell me about it!" she fumed.

I continued on sloshing my way through the water as it began to sink to my knees. After a few more yards of stumbling, I finally reached the beach. I was in America.

Oh my word.

I made it.

I beamed as I realized that I had overcome this one, small step in the journey. Shaking my head and coming back to reality, I quickly ran through the dunes and into the surrounding wildlife. This place was really beautiful. I approached a line of trees and reached what I could only assume was a natural forest found in the area. After I was deep enough into the forest that I could no longer see the beach, I set my soggy backpack on a pile of grass and then began to strip off my clothes and hang them on branches. I was buck naked, but I hardly noticed the wind on my wet skin. My body could very efficiently control my overall body temperature much better than a regular human could.

I wrung my hair and squeezed as much water from it as I could and then tossed it back over my shoulders. Crouching down in the tall grass, I opened my pack and dumped out the zip-locked bags. I began to sort through them while I waited for my skin to air dry.

There was the bag I kept my mementos and keepsakes in (including the stuffed animal sheep from the fair), one small bag of euros, and I had one larger bag that contained some clothes: 3 shirts, one pair of shorts, one bra, and then a few pairs of underwear and socks. The only shoes I had were now filled with water and I would have to wait for them to dry out in the sun.

By now, I had dried off so I changed into the extra bra and a pair of underwear, the denim shorts, and a long sleeved shirt that was a dark maroon color. I left my feet bare and decided to get some rest while I was waiting for my stuff to dry. Swimming a few hundred, or even thousand, miles in less than a full day could really drain a hybrid's energy. I settled in a pile of grass, curled up, and gratefully fell into blackness.

I must have been wiped out because when I went to sleep, it was still the afternoon. I awoke to the morning of the next day. The sun was bright and I could hear the soft crash of the waves in the distance.

Getting on my knees, I found my tennis shoes and was glad that they seemed to have had enough time to dry completely. I got out a pair of socks from my bag (which was now also dry) and then slipped on my shoes. I packed the clothes away from their hanging posts on the branches, slung my pack onto my shoulders and set off to find some food.

I frowned as I realized that all of my money was in euros. I would have to stop at a bank to get it converted into U.S. dollars.

I walked into town and it didn't take me long to find a bank. All I had to do was pull out my I.D. and passport from my memento zip bag and I walked out with an envelope of about 1,000 dollars. A block away from the bank I reached a diner and ordered a steak, ignoring the sides that were served to me. The only "human food" I ate regularly was directly animal related. I could have meat, eggs, and dairy products. Anything else made me sick. I guess I wasn't human enough to digest fruits, vegetables, and grains. Who would want to eat a plant anyway? This meal would be good enough for now, but in a few days I would need to hunt. Something small, like a deer, would be sufficient.

After eating, I went into the ladies room. I never actually needed to use the restroom, my body completely burned and used the food I consumed. I just needed to check my reflection in the mirror.

I felt so different on the inside, yet I looked the same on the outside. My grief turned to determination barely registered in my reflection. I had the same rich brown hair, long and thick to my waist and just inches above my navel. My skin was as smooth and pale as perfect porcelain, yet it had a slight blush that my beating heart was able to provide. My eyes, they really surprised me...they were not filled with tears, or sorrow. Neither anger or rage. They looked back at me with a sharp blue hue. Black, long lashes rimmed them and dark, defined brows framed them. Shame washed over me. I appeared normal. I felt like I wasn't caring enough about what happened to me. Poor Ted had died, and I looked as cheerful as ever. I hurried from the room, not wanting to see myself any longer.

I paid the bill, got up from my seat, and was on my way out the door when something caught my eye. I spotted a rack of post cards, stamps, key chains...and maps. I grabbed a large one with detailed views throughout the entire country, threw some bills on the front counter, and rushed out the door.

It was time to start searching.

**AN- so this chapter was quite a lot bigger than the last one. May hasn't met anyone yet but the next chapter of the story will really get to flowing. The plot is going to start changing soon!**

**Please leave reviews and comments! I want to know how things are going!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**

** This world belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own anything, even though I wish I did :)**

**AN - Hey guys! This chapter will start to get the story flowing. There are some confrontations and May encounters some new people (good and bad).**

**Special thanks to "****Vampire's -Bite me" and "Kfaatcee" for being my first reviewers! :)**

**Chapter 3**

I had to resort to stealing a car.

Luckily, Ted had taught me how to drive a few months prior to the attack on our apartment when I had reached the age of about sixteen or seventeen. Now I just had to figure out how get myself a ride to take me across the country.

I would feel absolutely terrible if I had to attack an innocent person, just for their vehicle. My best option would be to go looking for trouble. I concluded that if I found someone that deserved what came to them, I wouldn't have to listen to my conscience nag me. Perhaps a druggie, abusive boyfriend, thug, or even by chance— serial killer would be appropriate. It may take awhile to find said person, but it could be done.

This quest took almost the rest of the day and I had to search a few alleys and dark places from different cities. Finally, an hour after sunset, I walked by a boarded up building and my ears picked up on crying and a noise that sounded like a smack. The commotion seemed to come from the space between the boarded up building and a run down gas station. I walked slowly around the corner and saw a man had just struck a young woman across the left side of her face. I watched quietly and listened to their dispute. From the looks of her clothes, I assumed she was a hooker. From the way he verbally degraded her, he was a pimp. After a few more minutes she wiped her tears and he led her down the walk in my direction. I slipped away into shadow as they passed me.

He took her about half a block from the gas station and to my luck, they reached what I could only assume was his car. He shoved her against the passenger side and then approached the driver's side of the car and began to fumble some keys out of his coat pocket. The time to strike was now.

Adjusting the straps on my backpack so they wouldn't slip in the struggle that was to occur, I briskly walked towards the man. The woman saw me first. She was facing my direction while his back was to me as he attempted to unlock the car. Her eyes widened and she froze. The man proceeded to unlock the car and just as he swung open the door, I quickly grabbed the back of his jacket collar and turned him to face me. Before he had the chance to react, I slugged him in the jaw. The skin on my knuckles split at the force of the punch. Although I was half vampire, my skin was still quite delicate like a human's. After the initial hit, I wrapped my hand around his throat.

To spare you the details, I snapped his neck shortly after telling the girl to run.

Taking someone's life isn't easy and I have only done so three times, this man being the fourth. The first two had been accidents. I was about 14 and my body was starting to resemble that of a young woman's. I had begun to require more energy in order to feed my growing body. This created a small period of time in which I craved human blood uncontrollably. The third time I had killed a human was shortly after the changes in my frame. My blood lust was now under control, but my new appearance drew the attention of a highly intoxicated man as I walked home from the store around the block. To make this story short, he only got to grope my waist before his life ended.

Killing the pimp made traveling easier. No one could report this car missing and I am almost certain the young woman wouldn't mention a word to anyone. I had saved her after all. That was another good deed I had done when I ended his terror.

Ignoring the urge to feed, I dragged the body and hid it under a pile of trash bags that were stacked next to a dumpster. If his body was discovered, the authorities would probably assume he died in some gang-related activity. I jogged back over to the car and picked the keys up off of the street where the man dropped them. I hopped in and slung the backpack off of my shoulders where I laid it in the passenger seat. Taking out the map and a pen, I began to plan out the best route to Forks, Washington.

I drove all throughout the night and into the next morning. At noon I pulled into a gas station. I filled up the tank and then cleared out the trash that was strewn about the car and littering the floor. I was lucky that this gas station had a car wash and a convenience store attached. I bought some snacks, water bottles, and splurged on a medium sized glass bottle of milk for breakfast. I decided to pick up a vanilla scented air freshener for the car, then decided that wouldn't be enough to rid the car of it's previous owner's filth.

I stopped at the attached car wash center and vacuumed the inside of the car, then proceeded to drive through the wash cycle. Halfway through the cycle, I sensed a pair of eyes on me. I looked around the perimeter of the car but I could hardly see through the soapy lather on the windows.

As the car approached the streams of water, the soap began to run off the surface and the windows became easier to see out of. I hurriedly scoped from window to window. Glancing out the back once more to double check, I sighed as my eyes couldn't pick up on any threat. I turned to the front and suddenly there was a pair of blood red eyes not even an inch from the glass.

I screamed and jumped back against the seat. The figure—the man, seemed to be crouched on the hood of the car and had his face nearly pressed to the large window.

A small, pathetic growl managed to squeeze its way from between my trembling lips. I was trying to scare him off, but obviously that little squeak wouldn't do much. Ted had raised me how to defend myself, and while I could easily survive an attack with humans...vampires were hard for me to combat. Now facing a situation in real life and not just sparring with Ted, I was too afraid.

I began to shake, my bottom lip quivered and a chill ran up my back. The man cocked his head to the left and the light hit his face so I could see his features more clearly. He was definitely a vampire. Probably changed when he was in his mid twenties. He had shaggy, dark brown hair that fell in front of his eyes. I had to admit he was attractive in a 'vampire' sort of way, but he was even more frightening in a 'run for your life way'.

He closed his eyes slightly and lifted his face to inhale the air. Was he sniffing me? He was taking in my scent! His eyes shot back to mine and a low purr came from his throat as he licked his lips. _Crap._ He was hunting me. My trembling was cut short when a loud honk came from behind my car. I turned quickly and saw an irritated woman in an SUV waiting for me to pull up and out of the car wash.

I whirled back to the threatening vampire on the front of my car...wait. He was gone! _Aww hell!_ Not only was I being hunted, but the hunter got to sneak off to who knows where. I felt like I did whenever a spider was loose in the apartment. When I'd leave the room to get a tissue to squish it with, the spider was gone to hide under the furniture...only to sneak back out when I was least expecting it and crawl up my pant leg to leave bites on my skin.

I hoped this 'spider' wouldn't come back to bite me...

**XXX**

I couldn't stop my hands from shaking on the steering wheel until I had already passed through five other towns. I was absolutely terrified. I had left Europe and someone still managed to find me.

I remembered that Ted had told me vampires would be looking for me...as in multiple persons from different places. I began to wonder if anywhere was safe. I would have to be extremely cautious and staying in the car and on the road was the safest place I could be. I would have to postpone my hunting trip until I reached Forks. Gas stations would be risky. I had to be strategic.

I guessed that this trip would take anywhere from five to six days depending on how often I would stop to get supplies and rest. If I was going to get gas, I would have to keep my car at the pump closest to the front of the store. If I needed snacks, I would stop at a large grocery store. To brush my teeth and shower, I would probably just have to use the sinks in the restrooms of a busy store. I would have to do all of this during the day when the sun was out and vampire could be exposed. It would still be risky. Sleeping would have to be at a minimum and probably during the day. I could sleep in the car in a crowded parking lot, nearest to the front where there would be witnesses.

My stomach grumbled at me so I continued to think of these things as I nibbled on the food and guzzled down the glass bottle of milk while I drove.

**XXX**

Three days into the trip I was attacked again.

This time I was at a grocery store. I had slept away the entire morning and most of the afternoon while I was parked in the lot. It was the first time I had gotten to sleep since arriving at the beach on the East Coast days ago. I was exhausted and it had caught up to me, costing me nearly all of the day's light. It was half an hour before sundown when I awoke. I wasn't cautious enough and figured I had time to go into the store for food, brush my teeth, and wash my hair in the restroom sink. I got all of those things done, but when I was walking through the parking lot, the sun had gone behind the large building and the lot was cast into shadow.

When I made it to my car, I didn't even get to open my car door before cold, strong arms pinned me against the metal frame of the car. I dropped my grocery bags in surprise. My stomach was pressed to the driver's side window and my back was to the assailant. I heard a low chuckle by my ear and turned my head to see a large vampire. From the waves of scent coming off of him, I could easily guess he was the leading male of his coven. This man was definitely not the same guy that jumped on my car at the car wash. This vampire's hair was sandy blond rather than the dark brown hair the other guy had.

The man spun me around to face him and actually decided to gloat his victory over me. This was annoying, but it actually gave me some useful information. I was almost completely in the dark before this encounter.

"Well, well, well. It seems the rumors _are_ true. In that case, I'm glad I decided to listen to them. I have you now." He stared me straight in the eyes and I noticed that his eyes were pitch black with hunger.

"W-what rumors?" I managed to choke out.

I trembled as he buried his nose in my hair and murmured his reply, "Messengers came to my coven and brought news that you had come of age. Your blood, it sings to me, little Siren. How I will enjoy draining you dry!" At this revelation, I was completely shocked. _Drained dry? _ This was the worst news I could get. I was going to die. I tried, to no avail, to struggle from his grip.

He grabbed my chin in his hand and forced my head back. Just as he began to lean in towards my neck, suddenly a growl cam from behind the car next to mine and in a flash the vampire that had his grip on me disappeared. Another vampire had just so happened to find me and now the two were in defensive crouches, fighting over their prey. I snapped out of my state of shock and hurried to unlock the car.

Just as I had opened the door, the second vampire managed to escape the grasp of the first. He rushed at me with black eyes and his jaws snapping. A small yelp escaped from my lips. Just as he reached for my throat the first vampire with the sandy hair had tackled him to the ground. Thankful for the distraction, I heard snarls and shouts flying through the air as I swiftly tossed the grocery bags in the car and hopped in the seat. I backed out of the parking spot so fast that I didn't even bother buckling up and the open car door was forgotten momentarily. I had to get out of here! I almost hit another car and abruptly shifted into drive while simultaneously slamming the door shut and hitting the 'lock' button...not that it would stand in the way of two blood thirsty vampires.

As I sped out of the lot and onto the open road, I saw in the rearview mirror that the pair were constantly trying to break away from the fight and chase after the car, only to be tackled by the other. Apparently, their desire for my blood kept getting interrupted by their competitive need to prevent someone else taking down their prey.

This was _way_ worse than the carwash.

**XXX**

Luckily, that was the last attack I had during my 5 day drive to forks. The rest of the trip went smoothly and when I reached the state of Washington, relief came over me. I almost felt safe knowing that I could find help here. Once I breach through the borders of the small town, I decided to park the car in, yet another highly populated area, just to be safe. After a few minutes of driving towards the center of town, I parked in front of a store named "Newton's" and decided that I couldn't delay the hunt much longer. My throat was getting very uncomfortable and it was all I could think of. Jerky and cheese sticks wouldn't be able to satisfy that need.

There was a tree line right behind the store that opened up to a forest and it seemed like a good start. I jogged into it and let the dark cover of the trees surround me. When I became certain I was out of the range of sight from the store and parking lot, I began to run at my normal half-breed pace. I was nowhere near as fast as a normal vampire, they were faster than the wind. Comparatively speaking, my full blown sprint was a slow, leisurely run to vampires. At the same time, I was still very speedy. Human sprints were at a snail's pace to me.

Guessing I was now deep in the forest, I paused and listened for signs of life. My hearing range began to branch out as I focused. I heard a small heard of deer about a mile west from where I was. I sprinted in that direction and came upon a clearing where about four deer were gathered. Before they even became suspicious, I darted forward to snap a buck's neck and then I turned around to do the same to a doe. I allowed the other two to escape; they leaped in different directions and took off in fear. I strode to the buck and silently thanked him. I was an animal lover, but I had to feed. Survival of the fittest. I knelt down on my knees and gently lifted his neck to my mouth and bit through the fur, skin, and tendons. I could feel the warm, thick blood pool against my lips and swallowed it down hastily. After the first few gulps, the initial thirst began to die down and I started to enjoy my meal. Like a man trapped in the desert that came upon a fresh spring. Frantically and greedily drinking at first; then slow and relaxed sips.

Right when I had finished off the buck, I felt like I was being watched by many pairs of eyes. I released the deer's neck from my hands in surprise, the antlers rattled as the head lolled to the side. A uttered a small gasp as I thought of the vampires that had attacked me in the past few days. Had more found me, even here? My question was answered and I was proven wrong when three large wolves stalked out of the trees to my right. They were taller than me by a good foot at least. These were no ordinary wolves.

I froze, unable to move in fear. My eyes darted around for a chance to escape and my gaze flitted from wolf to wolf. The wind began to pick up and their scent filled my nose. The wolf farthest to the right was a reddish-brown hue and the wolf in the middle was large and black all over. The wolf closest to me was grey with black markings. The trio paused about 15 feet from me and the two deer which must have drawn them in with their scent. Oh my gosh, they must be waiting to figure out the best way to rip me limb from limb.

These wolves could end me in a second. My life seemed to really be going downhill and fast. I wondered if these wolves or the vampires from earlier would be quicker at delivering my death. I could only hope that now, it would be over soon.

I whimpered and tears started to fill my eyes. I closed them and the tears ran down my cheeks as I waited for my demise. Suddenly a warm hand was placed on my shoulder and my eyes snapped open to find a tall, muscular guy in front of me. What were humans doing in the middle of these woods at a time like this?!

I glanced around and the wolves were gone! I turned back to the guy and saw two other men, just as equally buff, strolling out of the brush and they flanked both sides of the guy in front of me. I was about to thank them for arriving at the nick of time, but just then, the wind came in my direction again and the scent hit me. _Their scent. _They smelled like the wolves.

They _were _the wolves.

I reeled back and landed with a thud on the ground, facing up at them. I began crying hysterically. The man closest to me reached for me and grabbed my wrist.

"No! No, please don't try to kill me! Not again!" I sobbed.

He just pulled me to my feet and then backed away quickly with his arms held up in a manner that made me feel like a cornered animal. Wait, they weren't going to kill me? _Yet, anyways. _I sniffled and quickly wiped the tears off of my face, keeping my eyes low and to the ground. I was certain they could smell my fear.

The tallest of the group finally spoke up. "Why would we try to kill you? We have no idea if you're a threat or not. We don't kill innocents. Even if they are vampires— or in your case, half-breeds." He sniffed the air as he mentioned that last part.

Since my eyes were focused on the ground, I sensed the other guy that flanked the larger male turn in my direction. "You don't have to be scared…" he said softly. I hesitantly looked up at his face. He was tall, yet the shortest of the three. He was slightly slender but rounded muscles were very prominent. He had black, cropped hair and a kind face with a slightly dimpled chin. He just gazed at my eyes and I looked away first, breaking the contact. While Ted had tried to raise me to be able to protect myself, I knew when I was outmatched (like the case with the vampires that had been after me, and now giant wolves). When I knew I was outmatched, I lost all confidence in my fighting abilities. Despite Ted's attempts to get me to be strong and fierce, I was rather skittish and shy. Especially around strangers.

The man closest to me cleared his throat and began to introduce the trio in a deep voice. "I'm Sam Uley, and I am the alpha of my pack. This is Jacob Black, who leads his own pack" he motioned at the tallest of the group. Jacob had deep set eyes and raven colored hair that was also cut quite short. "And this, is Embry", he pointed at the kind male that had spoken gently to me earlier.

"Embry _Call_" Embry clarified.

"Now who…are you?" Sam said to me. Curiosity shone on all their features.

"I-I'm May. May Miller" I managed to choke out.

"Well, May, what are you doing here and why did you say 'not again' when you though we would harm you?" Sam asked me. I inhaled a shaky breath and tried to figure out where to start. After a few seconds I just decided to start from the beginning. "Um, well I lived in Europe with my uncle Ted since I was a few days old. He's not really my uncle, but he cared after me like his own daughter. I am only _technically _eight years old…but I have aged to eighteen years physically…if that makes sense." Jacob began to nod in understanding. I continued, "This brings me to the root of the problem: my uncle was told my an anonymous source that when I did physically turn eighteen and matured enough to stop aging, we would both be in grave danger and vampires would come after me. Now they're hunting me down and…and… trying to d-drain me dry." The last part was difficult for me to finish. The memories were still fresh in my mind. I could easily picture the attackers' snarls and the hungry look in their eyes.

The trio looked alarmed and Embry began to growl. Sam hushed him and then pressed me to continue on explaining. "What made you decide to come here, of all places?"

I sighed and went on, "My uncle also told me that a few days after I was born, my father and I were brought to the Volturi. They killed him but allowed me to live with Ted. Ted heard them say that the main reason I was alive was because a 'similar situation' occurred here in Forks just a few months earlier. Is that true?"

Sam and Jacob looked at each other for a moment, silently debating what to do next. Finally, Jacob nodded and stepped forward to me. "Yes, it is true. Renesmee, my impr—um…girlfriend. She is a half vamp, half human just like you. She must be just a few months older than you. She too, has stopped the aging process and _matured._" he smiled at the last part. "But we have had no warning or reason to fear any attacks from anyone. Alice, our seer, has seen no such threat. Do you know why you are being hunted?"

I thought back to what the sandy haired vamp had said to me. "Um, well the third attack on me gave me some insight…" my sentence drifted off as I noticed the shock on their faces. Embry looked absolutely horrified. "Uh, well this vampire male had pushed me up against my car on my way here and he told me that his coven had messengers bring news of some rumors. Apparently the rumors were about me and how I came of age. He didn't go far into detail, but proceeded to try to drain me. When he was about to lunge for my throat, another tackled him. They began to attack each other and from their stances, I could tell that they were fighting over a meal. I got away shortly after that." My voice had gotten quiet as I replayed out the situation for them.

Sam nodded and had his arms crossed. He seemed to be deep in thought. Embry decided to break the silence, "What about the other two attacks? You said that this was the third attempt—" Sam stopped him before he got to finish. Sam spoke to us all in a deep voice that sounded full of leadership, "I think it is time that we go to the Cullens. They might know more about this than we do. Perhaps they may have some insight for us. This would also give May the chance to meet Renesmee, if that is fine with you, Jacob." Jacob hesitantly nodded his consent; Sam went on, "Also, why don't you take a moment to phase back and consult with your pack, Jake. You can briefly inform them of the situation, but I think it would be best to keep them away for now. We don't want to overwhelm everyone." Jacob grunted and jogged into the trees to do just so.

Sam faced me and told me he was going to do the same and inform his pack of the last thirty minutes. He nodded at Embry and then turned to disappear into the trees. Me and Embry were just left by ourselves.

Embry cleared his throat. "Hm, uh, May…sorry if we, um, scared you earlier. I can understand how shaken up you must be considering your situation…." he mumbled as he began to rub his neck uncomfortably. "It's okay. Thanks for being so kind to me earlier." I smiled at him and he beamed back at me. We were still just standing there, smiling at each other when the other two came back out of the brush. Embry turned to me and gently touched my elbow. I tingle went up my spine at the contact. "Just follow me. We'll go a little slower on you. We all know that Renesmee can't run as fast as us, but she's still pretty quick. You must be like that too?" I nodded at him. "Well, then. Let's go!"

And with that, we were speeding through the forest.

**AN- Well there you go! This chapter had a lot more action in it and now the story is starting to pick up. Plus, May got to meet Embry! ;) I would love to know what you think (good and/or bad).**


	4. Chapter 4

**PLOT NOTE: A reviewer questioned how May could swim the ocean and not need sleep. Well, May can go quite a bit longer that a human can without sleep. A few days is pushing it and it tends to catch up with her (As stated in chapter 3, I believe). She slept as soon as she got back on land. It does help that she is half a vampire and can swim ALOT faster than a human. It took her a few hours to swim from Europe to America.**

**I didn't want her to use a plane, because it would draw attention and there are cameras and security at airports. And I didn't want her to use a boat because she can swim much faster than a boat anyways.**

**If you guys have ANY questions, please feel free to let me know! I'd be glad to answer them for you!**

**Disclaimer: ****This world and all recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The character I have developed as 'May' and the upcoming plotline are mine! ALL MINE! Mwa ha ha! ;D**

**Chapter 4**

**Embry's POV**

I couldn't believe I found her. Her—my imprint. Gosh, it felt so weird to say it in words. Even now, as we were running through the forest, I felt like she would disappear. I had to keep glancing back at her to make sure she was real.

The ability to shift into a wolf and protect our people was an honor. Imprinting only came to the luckiest of us, but ever since our pack grew to a record-breaking amount when Ness was born, it felt like everyone soon had their own imprint. I had seen many of my pack brothers go through it and after awhile I gave up hope. I had just resolved to the fact that I would be alone during my existence. I would spend decades frozen in time performing my duty to the pack, but now, I didn't have to spend it in solitude. I had found my other half…that is, if she wanted me in return.

My thoughts were forgotten completely as I looked at her now and my breath caught in my throat.

As she ran, her long hair was whipped back from her face. Her hair seemed to change colors. When the sunlight broke through the branches and boughs of the forest trees to land upon her locks, they became a rich bronze hue that glowed. When she fell back into the shade, her hair was the color of freshly brewed coffee. Such a dark chocolate that it was almost black, but not quite.

She caught me staring at her and her eyebrows knit together in confusion. Those bright blue eyes of hers looked even more intense as her dark brows framed them.

With a growl, I unwillingly tore my gaze from hers and continued to run on.

"Well, _okaaaay_ then" she chuckled. I huffed out a loud breath. She probably thought I was growling at her and being defensive. _Great. _

It was becoming clearer to me that, while my feelings for her were confused and hesitant, she would have me completely captivated in no time. I would have to take things very slowly. My inner wolf whined at that thought, but I wanted her to choose me like Nessie chose Jake. I could be her friend for as long as she needed me to.

**May's POV**

Embry led the way for me in his wolf form. The other two wolves seemed rather impatient and they ran faster than Embry and I. I couldn't see them at all anymore. I didn't want to get lost, so I kept my eyes focused on Embry's form while I ran. Despite his shaggy coat, I could still see large muscles moving lithely under his grey and black fur. He looked rather graceful as he ran, but also powerful. The wolves looked like they could do some serious damage, even to a vampire. I'm glad that these wolves were helping me and not ripping my throat out…

As the we sprinted through the forest, I would catch Embry's head turn in my direction more than a couple of times. Perhaps he was making sure I was docile and really true to my word? Or that I wouldn't attack him while his back was turned? He seemed to confirm my theory when he made a low growl and he turned away from me.

My eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. "Well, _okaaaay_ then" I laughed slightly at his defensiveness. Normally it would have irritated me, but I had to think of it in his perspective. I would probably be a bit weary if I was in his position. Shrugging, I continued on with the trip.

A few minutes later, we caught up to the others. They seemed to have stopped abruptly. "What's going on?" I asked the large black wolf.

Wait, how stupid of me.

He was a wolf and couldn't answer me at the moment. I just stood there puzzled until Embry's wolf form jogged up next to me. He lightly nudged my shoulder and my eyebrows pulled together in confusion. It took me a couple seconds for it to hit me. "Ohhh, I see. You want me to turn around so you guys can change?" The brownish wolf, whom I presumed was Jacob, made a rumbling noise that I took as a chuckle.

I turned around so that my back was to the three and within moments I heard them laugh in their human forms. I could hear the soft rustling of fabric as they dressed. "You can turn around now!" Jacob called to me. I did just so and saw him stifling another laugh. Embry was looking down at the ground, clearly embarrassed over something only Jake and Sam knew. Sam just looked bored with whatever inside joke it was. He shook his head then told us to move on and that we weren't far.

We broke through the trees and into a vast, open space. In the middle of this break in the trees sat a gigantic pale house in all it's glory. The color wasn't quite white—more of an ivory. The house was beautiful with large windows and intricate decals. This house looked timeless and could have easily fit in a past era while still functioning in the modern world. Gorgeous shrubbery lined the front of the house. It was picture perfect from the shingles on the roof, to the very foundation.

On the front porch steps sat a small, pretty woman. She had short black hair with long layers that framed her tiny facial features. When I was about ten yards from the steps, I became certain that she was a vampire. My eyes narrowed suspiciously but she just rose from her spot on the porch and smiled at me.

"So, this is the visitor?" she asked Sam in a musical voice. "My visions were very unclear, but from the block I've been getting I knew that the pack was stopping by. You guys always seem to wipe out everything." she pouted sarcastically. I rose an eyebrow in her direction. _Visions?_

Sam nodded at her and she continued. "I could only make out that someone new was going to be here in the near future. Everything after that changed and got jumbled. Too many possible decisions could come into play…" her sentence trailed off as she became lost in thought.

After a moment, Jake cleared his throat an she was brought back to the present. "Oh! Excuse me for being rude. I am Alice." she said to me and stuck out her hand. I shook it tentatively and she went on, "The others are just inside. I wanted to meet you first and I simply couldn't wait any longer. I can now tell you're going to be a big part of our lives. In which way, I don't know, but I'm happy that you're finally here so we can get to the bottom of it." She was practically jumping up and down.

Jacob huffed and stood there impatiently. Alice turned away from me to face him. "Nessie is right inside the door in the living room. She _was_ upstairs, trying on clothes with Rosalie earlier, but I informed everyone that we would have a visitor." He smiled at her, nodded, then jogged up the porch steps and into the house. Sam and Embry shared a glance and chuckled.

"Shall we proceed into the living room?" Alice asked us as she waved her arm towards the front door.

I was slightly on edge now. The only other vampires I had met besides Ted were the Volturi when I was a baby (which I couldn't even remember) and the vamps that had attacked me. I had just met Alice and soon I would be in a whole house full of them. Sam must have sensed my anxiety because he turned to me and clued me in on the upcoming situation. "There are nine vampires total, including Alice, that live here—although Renesmee is only half vampire. I guess that would make it eight and a half?" He laughed. "They only drink animal blood. They wont hurt you. Promise." I gulped and then nodded carefully.

Alice flitted through the door while Sam and Embry walked shoulder-to-shoulder in front of me. I forced my legs to walk. I don't know why I was so nervous. This could turn out to be a good thing for me! This was what I wanted after all…

We strolled through the front door and I was instantly swept into a vast room with pale furniture. Although I couldn't see much past the two tall men in front of me, I could tell that it was an attractive area and whoever designed the space must have some impressive decorative skills. Once we were in the center of the large room, Sam and Embry stopped walking. They stood there for awhile and I could hear a few figures shuffling around. Sam looked over his shoulder to see if I was okay. I nodded and then they both stepped to the side and cleared my view.

A small gasp came from my mouth as well as a few sharp intakes of breath around the living room. My eyes glided over the people around me. They were all breathtakingly beautiful and their eyes shone like liquid gold. The looks on their faces were of shock, wonder, caution, and elation—all mixed together. One of them stepped forward too quickly for my taste and I jumped a little. He was a man with blonde hair that had been neatly combed back from his face.

"Careful, she's a bit weary." Embry warned. The man nodded and then slowly put a hand to his chest. "Hello, my name is Carlisle and this is my wife, Esme." He motioned at a small woman with caramel colored hair. She looked kind and motherly as she smiled to me, saying 'hello' in a soft voice.

"Allow me to introduce my family to you." He strode around the room with deliberate, measured steps as he named the members of his family one by one. "Alice and Jasper" he pointed at next. Of course I had met Alice already outside earlier. Jasper had shaggy waves of gold hair and he spoke to me next. "Hello there. You need not fear us. I can sense it as well as your anxiety and unease. It is my gift to sense others' emotions and I can influence them as well. Just like Alice sees visions of the future." No doubt, he had heard Alice partially tell me of her gift through the walls of the house. I was glad of this because now he just clued me in to what exactly she had meant.

Waves of calm and clarity washed over me and I raised an eyebrow at him. He just smiled in return. Carlisle moved on to a large, very muscular young man with curly brown hair and a supermodel gorgeous woman with long blonde hair. "Emmet and Rosalie" he called them. Emmet chuckled and Rosalie gave me a half hearted smile.

"This is Edward and his wife Bella" he said to me next. Bella was taller than Alice, but almost just as skinny. She was slender and she had thick mahogany hair just a few inches shorter than mine. She practically beamed at me. Edward was lean and tall with messy hair that was splayed about in all directions. His hair was an oddly unique color. Not brown, and not red. It was a mix of the two and it resembled copper and bronze metal.

He glanced down at me kindly. "Pleased to meet you" he said. He turned to his wife and asked her, "Would you like to do the honors?" She nodded eagerly and stepped towards the side while speaking to me. "And this, is our daughter. Our Renesmee." She said proudly.

_Renesmee? _I remembered what Jacob had told me when I met him, Sam, and Embry in the woods. She was Jacob's girlfriend and she was just like me! I was finally about to meet someone who might know what I was going through.

I looked eagerly to where Bella was motioning with her arm. I saw Jacob with his arms around a girl that was Bella's size. Her mother and her were remarkably similar. They shared the same frame, stance, and manner. Renesmee had long hair that was just a few inches above her butt, far longer than mine that was just to my waist. Her hair was wavy for the most part, like Bella's, but after it passed her breasts it began to curl more and more. The result were loose ringlets at the ends of her hair that had a gloss and shine. I looked back at her parents and realized that her hair was the same dazzling color as her fathers.

Renesmee looked the exact age as her parents. I thought this was a bit strange, but I then remembered that Carlisle referred to all these people I had met as his family. They were _all_ very close in age.

"Carlisle and Esme are our adoptive parents. I know that they look to be in their twenties while the rest of us appear to be in our late teens, but it all works out. Bella and I managed to have Ness when Bella was still human. Moments after her birth, Bella went through the transformation into a vampire. It was close, but she made it through." He smiled at his wife and hugged her to his side.

I sorted through this information in my mind and came to an understanding of the situation. I smiled and I was just about to talk to Renesmee when I thought of something. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How did Edward know that that was what I was wondering? "I can hear people's thoughts." He simply replied. At that, my eyebrows must have shot straight up to my hairline in surprise. A mind reader? Oh no…

Suddenly, a flood of horrific memories came to mind. I couldn't help it; the moment he told me that he could hear people's thoughts, I worried that he could hear all the horrible things I had done. The memory of the fist time I killed someone became fresh in my head. Me, snapping during the period of extreme blood lust when I was going through a growth spurt. I could picture it now…

_I was probably fifteen in physical age. My hair was shorter, falling just to my breasts. It was night time and I was walking down the street a block from my house. I needed to stretch my legs because Ted had cooped me up indoors for the past week and a half and he refused to tell me why. Now, I knew it was for the protection of others. I was a monster. _

_But then, I had no idea how dangerous I was to humans. So, I snuck out of the house when Ted was called away for a work emergency. I was glad to get out, the night was cool but not too cold. The air was crisp and it felt good on my hot skin. I remember closing my eyes and inhaling the pleasant breeze when I abruptly stopped. The streets were empty until that moment. Across the street, a man had stepped out of his home to throw out some trash. He had chosen to do so right when I paused to delight in the night wind._

_My eyes snapped open and in an instant I was in an alley with the man trapped in my arms. He was about to scream but the sound was cut off when my teeth sunk into his neck. His life was spent. I drank in such a hurry, I didn't even bother to come up to breathe while I fed. Now I pulled my mouth away and leaned my head back to let in a frantic gasp of chilly air. I closed my eyes and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth as I inhaled ragged breaths._

_Realization hit me. I pushed myself away from the body and backed up until I hit the alley wall. I sobbed and hid my head in my hands for hours until, at last, Ted found me. He wiped the blood from my mouth with his sleeve and gave me a sorrowful look as he carried me home._

Coming out of my thought, my eyes snapped up and locked onto Edward's.

I froze.

_'No, no. I—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!'_

I thought at Edward. I was absolutely horrified. This family, that I had just met, was going to find out just how much of a monster I was. Their eye's were golden and Ted had told me that that meant they only drank animal blood. Would they think of me as a threat now if they knew I had killed before? They were surely going to turn me away now. Edward said nothing and he just continued to stare at me. _'Please, please don't tell anyone what you saw. I will tell them—all of them, when the time is right, but not now. Please!'_

He looked confused, but he swiftly jerked his head downward in a 'yes' motion. He did it so subtly that I doubt anyone else but me could pick up on it. I sighed in relief and turned back to look at Jacob and Renesmee.

I suddenly became conscious of the fact that I had yet to tell these people my name. "Hi, I'm May Miller" I decided to introduce myself. She smiled enthusiastically and stepped forward to shake my hand. I stuck out my hand to her but when her hand met mine, my vision changed. My mind was instantly swept into some sort of dream like sequence. In it, I saw that I was sitting on the front porch of the Cullen house. The burly vampire, Emmet, walked by me. "Emmet, can I _please_ come with you guys? I'm so bored. Nobody lets me do _anything._" came out of my mouth. That was odd, I sounded like Renesmee…I _was _Renesmee. I now realized that I was seeing her memory from her point of view. I could still see the room I was in if I tried hard enough to see past the vision.

Another memory flashed in my head: I—Renesmee was now sitting at a large dining table while Carlisle tried to teach me something. "Now, let's go through it one more time. Tell me the importance of calcium at the neuromuscular junction of a muscle cell." he prodded. I just sighed and argued "Why can't I go to high school now? I can blend in!" Feelings of loneliness and isolation washed over me and then in an instant, everything was gone.

I was sucked out of her memories and now I could see the room clearly once again. Renesmee had showed me what it felt like to be her. She _was _just like me. My uncle had home schooled me as well and I didn't have any friends or a life outside of the apartment. "Is that your gift?" I asked her. She smiled at me timidly, nodded, and gave me a hopeful look.

I smiled at her in return and instantly knew that I liked her. I wanted to get to know what it was like for her as she grew. Did she go through the treacherous growth spurt that made her crave human blood? Did she eat the same foods as me? How did she hunt? How fast could she run? I wanted to know everything. She was the only person I had met that could fully understand me.

Sam spoke to everyone next "Jake, Embry, and I found her hunting in the woods. May here has been on quite the journey to get to Forks" he said with a humorless laugh "and I know she has a lot of questions. I don't know if you guys can answer them for her, but I figured that you were her best option." I looked around the room to see some of the Cullens nodding and a few of them looked eager to help. "We will do everything that we can to be of assistance, May" Carlisle said to me. "But we need to know your situation first."

I nodded, took in a deep breath, and started from the very beginning. I informed them of how Ted became my uncle and the Volturi spared me. Of how Ted was told that someone like me resided in Forks. Then I went on about the warning Ted received on his way home from work and the attack on our apartment. I finished with my encounters with the hostile vampires on my way here and lastly my interrupted hunt and discovery by the wolves.

By the end of my long story, the sun was setting and Esme, Bella, and Embry looked horrified at my tale. Carlisle, Sam, Jacob, Alice, Jasper, and Edward looked thoughtful as they processed the information. Rosalie looked indifferent. Renesmee's and Emmet's reactions were quite shocking. Emmet whooped and congratulated me on 'wrestling with a pack of vamps' as he put it. I had to correct him on it and let him in on just how terrified I had been and that I had only escaped by mere chance. Renesmee looked like she was in awe. I had to ask her about that later after I talked to her father about what he saw in my head earlier.

Jasper was the first to ask me about my journey. "What did the vampire that attacked you in the parking lot mean when he said that your blood sings to him?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I am almost completely in the dark." I replied with a shrug. He frowned and then turned to Edward "Could she be a Singer, much like Bella was to you?" I frowned, clearly confused.

Edward looked thoughtful and then gently sniffed the air. "I can't catch anything. The wolves' scents have completely filled the room." After some time he approached me cautiously. "May I?" he asked. I nodded hesitantly. Edward slowly leaned in towards my hair and let in a small breath. He pulled away and shook his head at Jasper. "No, nothing. She smells just like Renesmee does: half human, half vampire. Just as easy to ignore and get control over, too."

Jasper looked at me and gave me the same questioning look. I gave him my approval and he carefully breathed in my scent, just like Edward had. "The same goes for me. I can easily choose to ignore the scent, and I have less self control." I huffed out a breath, disappointed that they couldn't figure it out. Edward glanced behind me and I turned to see that he was looking at Embry. Edward then proposed another question, "How do the wolves take her scent? Embry, would you mind checking?"

Embry looked stunned for just a second but then he quickly dismissed it and took a few steps in my direction. He stopped directly in front of me and then had to bend down quite a bit, since he was so tall. He avoided looking me in the eyes. Was it nervousness I saw cross his features?

He lifted his hand slowly and lightly brushed aside my hair while he leaned in. My already fast heartbeat seemed to speed up to an impossible rhythm, My skin tingled as I felt his warm breath against my neck. His nose gently touched underneath my jaw by my ear and I heard him take in a ragged breath. He paused there for a second before exhaling and enveloping me in a breeze that smelled like him. His scent was like the wild forest. Pine and earth. I wanted to close my eyes and hold onto the calming smell, but the moment was broken. He pulled away slowly, but not before locking eyes with me.

"She smells like Ness" he simply agreed and then fell silent. His eyes were downcast. What was wrong?

Bella piped in, "Perhaps she was just _his _singer and her blood called to that particular vampire more than others?" Carlisle shook his head. "Then why were _three_ vampires chasing after her? And why were there rumors of your coming of age?" he asked. I yawned and stretched a bit. The last time I had slept was…when? A few days ago? All of this postponing sleep was catching up on me.

Edward must have heard me because he suggested continuing this discussion tomorrow. My questions—and hopefully some answers, were going to have to wait. "Do you have a place to sleep, dear?" Esme asked me in a motherly tone.

"Um, my car is parked over by some place called 'Newton's'" I replied while I shrugged one shoulder. At this, she frowned. "Well you can't continue to sleep in your car. You deserve to sleep in an actual bed. Especially after what you've just gone through." she coddled.

"May can have my bed for tonight. I can sleep back at the cottage" Renesmee suggested eagerly.

"Oh no! I couldn't possibly kick you out!" My eyes grew as wide as saucers. She just put her hand up to stop me, "Nonsense. My room was moved up here at the main house a few years ago, but I still keep my old room at Mom and Dad's cottage as a spare. It'll give me a chance to visit the old room I grew up in." she put simply and smiled at me.

"Well…okay then" I said unsure, but I smiled back at her.

"I think it's best to run patrol around the area. Just to make sure May's attackers don't come searching for her. Hopefully they wont even know she's here." Sam announced. Jacob and Embry nodded in agreement. "We can send one of the other guys to go pick up your car, probably Paul. He can bring it back here and park it in the Cullens' garage just to make sure no one recognizes it." Very strategic.

"We can pick this conversation back up tomorrow after you've rested and had time to eat, May" Carlisle informed me. He spoke to Sam and Jacob "You guys can come back tomorrow with some pack members if you'd like. Esme can make you all breakfast. I'm sure you'd all enjoy that." He chuckled at the last part. Esme laughed and added "I'll make biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, and—"

Embry cut her off "And bacon?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course" she smiled cheerfully.

All three of them nodded eagerly and turned to leave. Jacob paused to give Renesmee a quick kiss. Embry stopped halfway out the door. "It was nice to meet you May. I'll see you tomorrow?" I nodded and he smiled brightly.

I couldn't get his scent, or him for that matter, out of my head. There was just something about him…

******AN- Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and feedback! It means so, SO much to me to get alerts, messages, and reviews! Now that Embry is in the picture, I think it would be nice to give you a little glimpse from his POV. Later on throughout the book I may decide to switch POVs between different characters.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- Hey guys! Thanks for reading my story! It means sooo much to me! Thank you all!**

**This chapter will have a lot of May's backstory and it will be quite informative. It may help clear some things up!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer, except the plotline and the character 'May', she is mine! **

**Chapter 5**

After the three wolves had left, the living room began to empty out. Rosalie looked rather bored and she wanted to go for a hunt, so she took Emmet with her. Carlisle went upstairs to his study to look through his collection of books for possible explanations. Esme offered to show me where I'd be staying, but Renesmee said she would do it. Soon only she and her parents remained. She kissed their cheeks and told them that she would see them in a few minutes.

She led me up the stairs to what she said was her father's old room that had recently become hers. Along the way, she showed me around a bit. She pointed out which rooms were which, but I couldn't remember them all. I'm sure I would get lost at least once and have to rely on my vampire senses to find my way out.

Finally we reached her room and I was absolutely in awe of it. It was large and airy. The wall to the far right was almost entirely made of floor to ceiling windows. A queen sized bed was at the center of the room directly in front of me and it was adorned with light and airy blankets. They were as white as snow. A vast canopy covered it and on either side of the bed sat silver bookshelves with a variety of CD's and records. A plush white rug was placed under the bed itself and it spanned outward at least four feet in every direction from the bed.

"It's beautiful!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you. Aunt Alice helped me design it. At first, she wanted it to be more frilly with a lot more high-end furniture. I opted for the more basic route" she shrugged. "The bathroom is through that door there if you'd like a hot shower" she pointed to the left. "Do you need to borrow some clothes? I wont mind at all" she said seriously.

I suddenly remembered my backpack full of supplies. I had been carrying it for so long, its' weight hardly registered. I patted my shoulders, slightly surprised to still feel the straps there. "No, I'm fine. I have a few things in my pack" I smiled at her generosity. I slung it off, knelt down, and sorted through my possessions. The plastic bag of keepsakes, the smaller bag of money, a few shirts, some socks and underwear, and the clothes I wore while I was swimming here.

She crouched down next to me "I can ask Esme to wash your clothes for you. Don't worry, you can borrow some of mine while they get clean. I really wont mind at all. Alice gets me clothes all the time, I have plenty."

I paused and thought it through. Her face looked so eager to help. I sighed and nodded at her. Her face broke into a gigantic grin "Great! I'll get right on it! Go ahead and shower. You can use my shampoo and everything. I hope you don't mind the smell of strawberries. They're my mother's favorite scent and mine as well. The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel are all strawberry scented." she said as she gathered all my clothes into a bundle and headed for the door. Before she actually left, she paused and looked back at me. "I'm really glad that you decided to come here, May. I haven't really had any friends besides family and the people at the reservation. Plus, none of them really know what it's like to be a half-bred. You do. It's nice to know someone is just like you." she admitted with a slightly embarrassed look.

"I know exactly what you mean." I said with understanding and I gave her a thankful grin. She nodded and then headed down the hallway.

I went into the bathroom and softly closed the door. I turned the shower knob and slipped out of my clothes and my sneakers while I waited for the water to warm up. Once I took off my socks, underwear, and bra the water was just perfect.

The hot water relaxed my muscles and I allowed my mind to drift. Scrubbing my hair, I sorted out the day in my mind. Things had gone well. I met some kind people and tomorrow held more promise. Despite all the new names and faces in my head that I could think of, my mind kept flitting back to Embry. His scent swirled through my head and I could still picture his warm brown eyes as they held my gaze. The way his breath hit my neck and his nose brushed my skin…

Snapping out of my daze, I noticed that the water was getting colder. How long had I been thinking? I rinsed my hair and conditioned it. While the hair on my head grew rather quickly, I didn't need to shave my legs. My body hair grew at a snail's pace. Ted suggested that it was because a vampire's body resists change, but the hybrid part of me grew at an accelerated rate. The result was slow growing body hair, yet fast growing locks on my head. One of the few perks, I found, to being born the way I was.

I turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and used one of two towels hanging on a hook to dry off with. I wrapped the white towel around my body and opened the door into the bedroom to discover that Renesmee had left a pile of clothes out for me on the bed. I unfolded them to find a white t-shirt, cottony blue shorts, a pair of socks, a bra, and underwear. The bra and underwear both still had the tags on them and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were my sizes. I was about to change into them when a glance at the giant wall of windows changed my mind. _Creepy._

I took the clothes into the bathroom and shut the door. I quickly slipped them on and put my old clothes in my backpack. I didn't want to sleep on Renesmee's pillows with wet hair and possibly damage them. I also didn't want to rummage through her drawers to find a hair-dryer, out of respect for her privacy, so I towel dried my hair as much as I could. I then grabbed the unused and still dry towel left on the hook in the bathroom to cover her pillows. I turned off the lights, crawled into the bed, and hoped the moisture from my hair wouldn't soak through the towel.

The windows seemed far less creepy now. The view was breathtaking. The full moon illuminated the backyard and the forest looked like a silvery wonderland. The trees shimmered and the little river that ran behind the house looked like flowing glass as the moonlight glittered off of it. I let my hearing branch outwards. The leaves rustled against each other and made gentle _shushing _sounds. The running water trickled and clang like tiny bells.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when I thought I saw a grey and black wolf stroll through the trees. I only saw it for a second, so I wasn't sure if it was my imagination. My silent debate ended when sleep took me off into a place of darkness and quiet.

**XXX**

I began to stir when it was almost uncomfortably hot. My eyes were still closed, but I saw glowing red everywhere. I became alarmed, but then I realized that it was the sun shining through my eyelids and illuminating the blood under my skin there. I carefully peeked my eyes open and, sure enough, the sun was beaming through the large windows. It's rays broke through the early fall leaves on the trees. The colors of the foliage around the house were just starting to change to gold and copper. It was a beautiful sight to see first thing in the morning.

I stretched and yawned rather loudly. I felt completely refreshed. It seemed like I awoke after what days of deep, dreamless sleep. Realistically, it was probably only about ten hours. Glancing around the room for a clock, my eyes caught one sitting on the bookshelf to my left. It was angled towards the bed, so I could read it carefully.

_8:30 am _

Falling back onto the bed with a sigh, I allowed my hearing to reach throughout the house. I could make out the clangs of pans and cookwear in the kitchen two stories below the room I was in. The front door opened and I heard people entering the house. The sounds of loud laughing and joking conversations flowed up the stairs.

With a deep breath, I got up off of the bed and got ready to head downstairs. I abruptly stopped halfway to the door when I remembered that I was just wearing borrowed clothes to sleep in. Frowning, I paced around the room trying to decide what to do. Thankfully, my pacing was cut short when a knock was heard on the bedroom door.

"It's Alice" her clear voice rang. I opened the door for her and saw that she was holding my clothes, freshly washed and dried.

"I thought you might need these." She smiled and lightly tapped her temple. She had seen my dilemma and came to help me. "Thank you! You're a life saver." I replied.

"You're very welcome. Now, hurry up and dress so you can get some food before it's all scavenged by the wolves" she laughed. My brow furrowed slightly, but vanished when I remembered that some of the pack members said that they would be returning this morning for breakfast. That must have been the ruckus I heard earlier. I nodded at Alice and she skipped down the hall, leaving me to change.

I decided to wear my long sleeved mint colored shirt and my denim shorts. I just had on some plain white, low cut socks. I doubted I would need to wear shoes indoors. I ran my fingers through my hair and then headed down the hall.

As I was making my way down the stairs I heard a familiar voice. After a moment, I remembered theface that matched to sound. It was Embry. Curiosity flooded through me and I quickened my pace down the steps.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned around the corner and headed into the kitchen. To the left, Esme was at the stove constantly flipping, stirring, or serving up some food item. At the counter an array of breakfast foods were laid out on plates. There was an attached bar that was basically just a higher counter with four tall stools sitting along it. At the bar I saw Renesmee closest to me, Jacob was sitting next to her, Embry next to him, and the last seat was empty.

Renesmee saw me enter the room and she waved me over with a welcoming smile. Jacob had his left arm around her waist and he lifted his right hand into the air, mumbled 'hey' while simultaneously scarfing dawn a pancake, and attempted to grin without spilling food from his stuffed mouth. I chuckled and waved back. Embry heard me and he leaned around Jacob's giant form to give me a wide, beaming smile.

He motioned to the empty stool next to him, "Hey May! You can sit here if you'd like."

"Thank you, Embry" I said. His name felt strange coming from my lips. I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. I decided on good.

Esme looked over her shoulder at me and greeted me. "Good morning, dear. I'm thinking you'll take the same order as Nessie?" I glanced down the counter and saw that she had a plate of eggs, bacon, and sausage. A tall glass of milk sat in front of her plate. I nodded at Esme eagerly while my stomach growled loudly.

"Whoa! You sounded like you could rival Paul's growl for a second there." Embry joked. I gave a slight laugh and figured he must mean one of his pack members. "Which one is 'Paul'" I asked him.

"Me" came a loud, rumbly voice. I spun around to see that at the far right of the kitchen was a breakfast nook with a table. Four more seats were there and I saw that they were filled with muscular, tan figures. I recognized Sam, but the others I had never seen before. I glanced around at their faces as Sam introduced them. "Paul Lahote" the one who had spoken to me earlier raised his eyebrows and grinned mischievously. "Quil Ateara…the fifth, and Seth Clearwater. His sister Leah said she would drop by later." I smiled and waved to them.

Quil stood up, or attempted to with the table in his way. His waist bumped the table resulting in glasses of orange juice and coffee sloshing about. Groans erupted around the room and Quil blushed and muttered an apology. He put his hand out to me and I got up from my seat to shake his hand. His grip was firm and he smiled eagerly at me.

"So, Embry told me _all _about you—well as much as he could, anyways. Nice to meet you May" he rushed. Was he always this excited?

Paul cleared his throat and added nonchalantly, "Embry just filled us all in on who you were since we weren't there. Sam had to go home early to his wife, Emily, and he couldn't tell us in detail what happened." He shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Nice to meet you guys" I giggled awkwardly and then headed back to my seat at the counter. As I turned, from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Paul looking pointedly at Seth. Seth looked like he was holding back a laugh.

Well that was odd.

By the time I sat down, a large plate packed with bacon, eggs, and sausage was waiting for me. I could see the steam rising off of the food and my stomach growled loudly again. I wolfed down my meal quickly, ignoring the burn of the hot food. It had been awhile since I had an actual hot meal to eat. Esme filled my plate with seconds and I smiled at her thankfully. By the time my brain could register that I was full, I had crammed three helpings down.

Esme had run out of food and everyone seemed pleased with their breakfast. I sighed in content but I still had two strips of bacon on my plate. Embry was the only one that claimed he had room. Poor guy had eaten five servings and still looked hungry. I bumped his side with my elbow and motioned to my plate.

His eyebrows shot up and he asked me "You sure you had enough to eat?"

I scoffed, "If I eat anymore, I'll explode" and then chuckled. His face spread into a wide grin and he replied, "Thanks, May. You're the best." My grin matched his.

**XXX**

After everyone had their fill of breakfast, the crowd in the kitchen began to migrate into the living room and conversations picked up. I stayed back for a minute to help Esme with the dishes, despite her gentle protests. I figured that it was the least I could do. Plus, I was kind of putting off the upcoming discussion that was to happen. I knew that it was important to be present, and I wanted to be there, but I was nervous. I felt like I was standing in line for a rollercoaster.

By the time I was walking towards the living room, everyone was already seated—well, the vampires stood around the edges of the room since their legs didn't grow tired. The furniture was all a beige color and there were two couches, a loveseat, and a recliner chair in the middle of the room.

On the large couch I spotted Paul, Quil, and Seth sitting rather squished. The couch was pretty big, but three werewolves were a tight squeeze because of their size. On the smaller couch sat Sam, Jacob, and Renesmee. The loveseat was only occupied by Embry and the reclining chair held a tall, strong looking woman that I concluded could only be Seth's sister Leah. She just glared off into space and spoke to no one.

When I stepped from the kitchen into the room, everyone grew quiet and glanced at me. I looked down rather awkwardly and cleared my throat. Finally, the awkward silence was ended by Carlisle, "Well you guys now know May and I'm sure that the story of her travel here has been passed between your packs though shared memory." At this I raised an eyebrow. "I expect you are all filled in. May, why don't you take a seat and we can discuss any concerns or questions."

I nodded and glanced around for a place to sit. The over packed couches were out of question. Embry patted the spot next to him on the loveseat and smiled at me, once again saving me a seat. I thanked him quietly as Carlisle went on. "So, does the pack have anything they'd like to ask May?"

Leah scoffed and turned to me, "Yeah I do. How do we know you haven't come here to run around slaughtering our people?" She looked angrily at me.

"Um, well—" I fumbled for words, clearly shocked at her accusation, when Edward cut me off.

"I would know. May's thoughts are nothing but inquisitive and curious. Her intentions are pure." I was a little shaken up by this.

_Pure intentions and thoughts?_

How could he think that when he saw the murder of an innocent man, first hand though my thoughts? Edward must have heard my questioning of my statement because he turned to me and gave me an understanding look. I would need to talk to him about this situation later.

_Can we talk about that sometime later? Privately? _I thought to him.

He nodded at me and then continued to speak to Leah, "She also exhibits the same control and assurance as Renesmee. Unless you doubt the ability of my daughter and your alpha's mate?" he implied.

Leah's eyes widened slightly and she looked at Jacob. She then turned back to me, eyes narrowed. "Fine. I will trust you for now. But if you step out of line I will—" Embry glared at her and she huffed, then went on, speaking now through gritted teeth "do nothing. Absolutely _nothing._" She practically hissed the last few words.

Sam spoke to me next, "Don't worry about Leah. The pack used to hate all vampires. We had a treaty with the Cullens that lasted decades, but we still didn't like them. That all changed with Nessie." He smiled at her and she blushed deeply. "Now thanks to her and Jake's relationship, there is peace between the Cullens and the people of La Push. We still hold hostility to outsiders, though." He frowned "Leah is just being careful."

Seth asked me the next question. "Are you gonna come visit us at the Rez? Now that you and Embry are…friends…you can come see us all. We have a huge bonfire planned for next month. Nessie is coming with Jake. Oh, I forgot to mention that: Nessie is allowed on the reservation, since she is half human and Jake's girlfriend after all. So can you?" Poor kid hardly had time to take a breath during his rambling.

Truth is, I didn't even know how long I was going to be here. I told him exactly so and his face fell, as did Embry's. I felt so bad that I promised I would go if I was around by that time. He seemed satisfied with my answer and nodded eagerly.

The next question came from Bella. "So this 'Ted' raised you and you called him your uncle? Do you know what happened to your parents? Your mother?" I flinched and realized that I hadn't thoroughly explained this yesterday. I didn't want to because it was too painful.

I looked down at the ground and answered, "I killed my mother when I was born." Gasps erupted around the room and my head sprang up to surprisingly see nods of understanding. I swallowed thickly and pressed on. "My father came back to my mother's body to claim me. The Volturi found him and executed him for the recklessness of his actions. They spared me thanks to you guys" I smiled. "Because of Renesmee, they knew I was no threat to them and they searched through their extensive employees for someone to raise me. Ted volunteered as soon as possible."

"But why did he volunteer?" Carlisle inquired.

I frowned, "He told me that when he was human, he had a newborn baby girl and a wife to go home to. He was robbed of them when he was attacked on his way home one night. Changed into a vampire, his control was very week for many decades. He didn't want to risk harming them, so he never saw them again. He just stayed away for the rest of their lives. I guess I reminded him of the child he never got to raise, so he chose me."

Bella, Esme, and Rosalie looked distraught at what I had said. Rosalie quickly left the room and Emmet went after her with an apologetic smile to the rest of us. I was about to ask if I said something offensive when Edward just shook his head at me.

Carlisle asked me another question, "I wonder, how was your diet as you grew up?"

I thought for a little while and finally answered, "When I was an infant, my uncle fed me bottles of blood that the Volturi gave him. As I grew into a toddler, Ted experimented with animal blood and then eventually human food. He found out that the only human food I can eat had to be animal based: eggs, dairy, and meat." I said with a shrug.

Renesmee nodded eagerly at this and spoke to me next. "Same here, but we're trying a new experiment!"

I tilted my head in question and Carlisle helped fill me in. "Nahuel told us that there is a way to get Nessie to eat other human food. Vegetables, fruits, berries, and nuts can be eaten by hybrids too. It just takes some time to get your body used to them, according to Nahuel's information. We like to try this with Ness during dinnertime. A few green beans here and there, a spoonful of corn." I wrinkled my nose at the thought of eating those foods.

_Wait, who's Nahuel? _I thought to Edward.

"Nahuel is a half vampire/human like you and Nessie. He roams around South America with his aunt and half siblings. We call him from time to time with questions over Nessie's development. He also visits every now and then to check up on her" he explained.

Why hadn't I heard of this 'Nahuel' and his other brothers and sisters? Did Ted know? The Volturi?

I didn't intend to ask those questions to Edward, so I was surprised when he answered me. "The Volturi knew about Nahuel and they even got to meet him and his aunt. I am not sure why they weren't mentioned to your uncle Ted. That seems rather odd…" he trailed off.

Alice changed the direction of the conversation by asking me the next question. "Do you have any gifts? Edward, Bella, Jasper, Renesmee, and myself all have noticeable 'powers'. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

I was deep in though for a minute. I tried to remember if anything was different about me, besides my vampire qualities. I couldn't think of any, so I shook my head at her.

She put her hand under her chin, "Hm…what about personal qualities that are enhanced? Carlisle's attention to the body when someone is hurt, Esme's kind and motherly care, Emmet's extreme strength, and Rose's beauty are all considered their 'gifts' they brought into their vampire lives."

Slightly confused, I tried to think of anything that seemed like an 'enhanced quality'…

"Um, I'm good at drawing and painting?" I proposed. Embry looked down at me in awe. _Weird…_ I tore my gaze from his and went on. "Could that just be from my ability to see better than average humans? I mean…I'm very attuned to fine details if I focus hard enough. It tends to make my artwork highly realistic and exact."

Nods came from around the room. Carlisle confirmed my theory, "Yes that does seem to be from your eyesight. I dabbled in oil painting for a few decades when I was in Europe. Vampires can create rather lovely works of art." I frowned. Great, not only did I lack a gift; now I was talent less. I had really liked being able to paint and draw with ease. It cleared my mind and made me proud of the work I made. It was all thanks to my vampirism.

"Is there anymore questions for May? I'm sure _she'd_ like to start asking _us_ some questions now" Carlisle addressed everyone in the room—well, Rosalie and Emmet have yet to return. The pack (or packs technically) was surprisingly quiet after Leah's outbursts. I glanced at Embry next to me out of the corner of my eye. He was staring out the window, lost in thought. I could feel the heat pouring off of him in waves. Was he sick? He seemed to be overheating.

When nobody spoke up, Carlisle turned to me. "May, the floor is yours. Ask away."

This was going to take awhile…

**AN- So, the Cullens and the Pack(s) got some info from May. Next chapter it's time for May to get some answers!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN-Thanks for reading! ****I have SO MUCH in store for the plot of this story. A lot of action and fighting. All shall be revealed in due time. I'm trying to build the story up slowly and reach at least 20 chapters, if not more, by the time it is completed! ****I have lots in store for you guys as the chapters come! Bear with me a little longer :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight world…If I did, I'd be rich!**

**Chapter 6**

Carlisle turned to me. "May, the floor is yours. Ask away."

I took a deep breath and tried to sort through all the questions I had. There were just _so _many of them. Ted hardly knew much about me and had raised me the best he could. Despite that, there was a lot I didn't even know about myself. The question I really wanted to ask was for Renesmee, but I wanted to wait until later, in a more private environment because it was about the bloodlust…

Settling on another question, I finally decided to pick the one that had been on my mind ever since I was little.

"How long will I live?" I blurted out. I knew that I would stop aging (and recently had _just _stopped aging), but how long until my body tired out and quit working?

Renesmee answered me before anyone else could, "For all of eternity until we are killed by something or someone." _Eternity? _I blinked in surprise. I wasn't expecting that at all. I didn't know if I should be glad or sad. Who would I spend eternity with? I had no family or friends. I frowned and tried to move on to my next question.

"Can we have children?" I blushed. Carlisle answered me, "Nahuel informed us a year ago that one of his younger sisters became pregnant by a human male. She has since had the baby, but she killed the father after conception" I cringed. That was a tad gory for my (technically) eight year old self to hear.

I tried to remove the horrific images from my train of though and concentrated on another question. Tapping my chin, I asked "Do I have the ability to create other vampires?" Leah spun around quickly and glared at me when I mentioned this. I put my hands up in and added, "Not that I'd want to…I'm just wondering it it's possible."

Bella was the one to answer me. "Not for females of your kind. Only the males are venomous. Renesmee bit me shortly after her birth when I was still human. When she was a baby, she'd bite people all the time" she chuckled.

I voiced my next concern, "How strong are you, Renesmee? And your senses…how are they?"

Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. "Hm, well I am far stronger than humans, that's certain. Yet, Jake and my family are so much stronger than me. Um, between human and vampire strength, I guess. I tried arm wrestling uncle Emmet once. He definitely beat me" she laughed "but I held out for a few seconds. If I were completely human, I fear that he would've taken my arm clean off."

Jacob began to growl at this and Renesmee soothed him by rubbing his arm as she continued. "I can see far distances easily, but I'm not that good at seeing in the dark. My night vision is equal to a human's and my hearing is just above that of humans. I can expand my range of hearing if I focus, though. I suppose that you are very similar?"

I nodded. "Everything you've said is exactly the same for me, too." I couldn't hold back the grin that spread across my face.

She was just like me.

**XXX**

After basically confirming that Renesmee and I were developing the same (well, I was a little less than a year behind her), the conversation broke apart and people began to disperse through out the house. Leah couldn't wait to get away from us all and had burst through the front door the second the discussion ended.

Carlisle, Edward, Sam, Jacob, Renesmee, Embry, and myself were the only ones left in the living room. Edward had his arms crossed over his chest and was watching me with a questioning look. Carlisle appeared to be pondering some thoughts, while Edward looked at me questioningly. He had his arms over his chest and seemed like he was expecting me to just fall on my knees, flail my arms in the air, and shout to the high heavens "I murdered helpless people in cold blood!"

He must have heard me think this because he began to chuckle in his corner of the room. Everyone turned towards him and Jacob even had an eyebrow raised in question. Edward just waved him off and he walked out of the room, shaking his head in disbelief. Odd.

Carlisle spoke to me, "Esme and I had been discussing your stay here. We came to the conclusion that you can remain here for a month." He then glanced at Embry with a smile. "You'll be able to go to the bonfire in La Push at the end your stay. Also, you and Renesmee can get to know each other more." At this, Renesmee squealed in delight. She was practically jumping up and down.

"Hopefully we can get to the bottom of your dilemma as well. I will continue to search through my extensive library. Nahuel will be coming by to visit in a few weeks as well—though, the exact time remains unknown. You might have left by then" he shrugged with a frown.

"Thank you so much Carlisle for helping me. I—" he put a hand up to stop me. He smiled kindly and said, "Don't worry about it. Esme and I love to help." I just nodded and he soon left the room.

I turned towards the remaining wolves and Renesmee. "So, how does this whole 'werewolf' thing work? I've heard tales from Uncle Ted about werewolves, but it wasn't even a full moon when you guys found me." Sam scoffed and then replied with a small chuckle, "We're not werewolves. We're shape shifters." I must have looked confused because Embry touched my arm gently and murmured, "It's okay. You'll find everything out at the bonfire in a few weeks. Until then, just know that we're a lot different than what you've heard."

I would have replied to him, but my mind was too occupied on the fact that his fingers were lightly tracing my elbow. His touch was hot and soft, leaving a trail of warmth on my skin. All I could do was stare at his eyes. They weren't as dark as the others. His were light brown with flecks of…gold? How interesting. I could just gaze into them for ever and…

The moment ended when his touch left my arm. Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly and Embry just looked at the ground with an odd expression on his face.

"Come on, we have to head back and discuss patrol shifts. We're going to need to be alert in case anyone comes looking for May" Sam said to Jacob and Embry. They nodded and began to head out the front door. Just before Embry stepped onto the porch, he turned back to smile at me. I smiled back and even added a wave goodbye.

They disappeared into the forest and as soon as they left, Alice flitted down the stairs with a huge grin on her face. "May, it's time to take you shopping. I can see you'll be staying here for awhile and I can also see that you need some new clothes." She spoke to Renesmee next, "You're in luck. Jasper and I are moving to one of the cottages built around the property. You can have our old room—giant closet included. May can stay in your old room."

I was speechless. I would only be here for a month! I didn't need them to buy me stuff!

Despite my protests, Alice had managed to drag me into the backseat of the canary-yellow car. Renesmee tagged along happily and she had sat in passenger seat while Alice drove.

We were now strolling through the large, airy walkways of the mall in Port Angeles. Alice had gotten Renesmee a few sundresses and heels and now she was determined to buy some 'necessary' items of clothing for me. I had talked her into only getting me stuff I needed, and it couldn't be expensive. A single item of clothing couldn't cost more than twenty-five bucks, that was our deal.

Alice and Renesmee grumbled and complained, yet managed to find a few stores that offered clothes in my desirable price range. I soon had bags filled with simple, form fitting clothes. Renesmee talked me into buying a few low cut shirts that I could pair with pretty, spaghetti-strapped undershirts. Her aunt was more difficult.

We passed a lingerie shop and Alice insisted I buy more age appropriate undergarments. I argued that nobody but myself would see them anyways. She retorted by stating that it would make me feel more mature and confident. She went a bit too far when she compared it to Kent Clark wearing his Superman costume under his clothes.

Regardless of everything, I found myself with two bags of modest, feminine pieces wrapped perfectly in pink tissue paper. Surprisingly, I left the mall with a smile on my face.

We got back to the house around seven and the sun was beginning to set. The foliage that was not evergreen, had already begun to change color rapidly. The forest around the house looked absolutely beautiful as the golden Fall leaves contrasted with the year-round deep green ones and they began to glow in the light. I sighed as I shut the car door. I longed to run through the wilderness. To feel the earth beneath my feet and hear the birds chirping around me.

Bella was waiting by the front door when we approached. She hugged Renesmee tightly in her arms and kissed her cheek. Renesmee lifted her hand to her mother's face and soon Bella laughed. "Alice would _never _get me to wear most of those outfits." She turned to me, "You were a good sport. I would have fussed the entire trip!"

Alice wandered by, carrying stacks of shoeboxes that she couldn't pass up for herself. Bella _tsk-tsked _at her and chuckled. Renesmee and I headed up the stairs and began to unpack our bounty from the mall. Afterwards, I helped carry her things to her new room. Apparently Jasper and Emmet had already switched the furniture around in our absence.

Renesmee's new room was far larger than her old one. It was lilac colored and it had a large queen-sized bed in the center. It's frame was made of black, brassy metal and the sheets were black as well. The comforter and pillows were a deep violet. This room was much more grown-up compared to her other one—which must have been designed when she became a teenager.

Renesmee smiled, jumped upon the bed and sighed. "Aunt Alice knows me so well. This morning, I had just decided that purple was my new favorite color." I sat the hangers of clothes down on a black dresser and laid on the bed next to her. We stared at the ceiling in silence for awhile. I could hear her slow and steady breathing next to me. This was nice. I felt like a normal teenager, with a friend and everything. My mind began to wander and I thought of what had happened in the past few days. Then, wondered what was to come in the next upcoming weeks.

A knock at the door interrupted my train of thought. We both bolted upright and I saw that it was Edward. Renesmee got up from the bed and gave him a hug. "Dinner is ready for you both", he spoke into her bronze ringlets.

I didn't quite feel like eating right now. I was feeling uneasy and nervous. My stomach felt odd and I realized that I needed to talk to Edward. He nodded at me over Renesmee's shoulder, her back was still to me.

"Sweetie, why don't you go eat? Me and May need to go take a walk real quick. We'll see you soon", he said to her calmly. She looked worried, but nodded and went down to the kitchen.

Edward jerked his head, beckoning me towards the hallway and I followed him downstairs and out into the backyard. He was silent and went on into the forest.

After we were quite some distance from the house, he stopped abruptly and I almost walked right into his back. I composed myself and stepped awkwardly away from him a bit. I was sure that the family inside the house couldn't hear us since we were so far away. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak when he suddenly cut me off before I could even start.

"I've killed hundreds of humans during my existence as a vampire" he blurted.

I tilted my head and looked at him incredulously. "What?!"

"My control was so weak, I left Carlisle for years in shame. I slaughtered many humans. They all deserved it, but that doesn't make it right…necessarily. I fed from killers and evil, vile people. I didn't want to hurt innocents." He spoke all this while looking past me into the trees, lost in another time.

"I don't—" I tried to say but he cut off my sentence once again.

"Please, let me finish" he stated with a slight smile. "I know that you've killed three humans. It may haunt you for awhile, but my family wont be the ones to rub it in your face. We've all dealt with the struggle, some more than others, of bloodlust. What you did is perfectly normal for vampires to go through."

I thought of Renesmee when he said this. Did she go through what I did?

"You'll have to ask her yourself" he answered, clearly reading my mind. "It is her story to tell, not mine." I nodded.

"My family and I wont judge you based on your actions in the past. We will treat you the way you deserve based on your actions _now_. So far, from what I've heard in your mind, there's nothing to forgive. _You _have to forgive _yourself_" He murmured softly.

I swallowed thickly and processed what he told me. After a few minutes he put his arm around me and led me back to the house.

Esme made meatloaf for Renesmee and I. I took mine plain, but she had ketchup smothering hers. This must be one of the ways Carlisle has been getting her used to other foods. I wrinkled my nose at her plate and she just laughed. "It's not so bad!" she prodded. I just shook my head and laughed. We both squealed and giggled when she tried to get me to try it. She practically chased me all over the kitchen with a fork full of the stuff.

I relented and came to the conclusion that meatloaf with ketchup was…good.

After dinner, I helped Renesmee finish moving things from her old room to her newer one (since we got sidetracked earlier). Then her parents told her she needed to get some sleep. She had protested and pleaded, but apparently she needed to wake up early tomorrow to help out at the reservation in the early morning.

I went to my room and unpacked all the new clothes I had gotten. I changed into some pajamas Alice picked out for me. The cotton shorts were turquoise and grey striped while the top was a deep blue spaghetti-strapped undershirt with lace trim. It was a little racy compared to what I was used to and I frowned as I looked in the mirror.

Shrugging, I turned out of the bathroom and headed into the bedroom. I turned off the light and crawled under the covers. I sighed, stretched, and snuggled into my pillow. I was laying on my stomach while my left arm dangled off of the side of the bed lazily.

I was just drifting off to sleep when someone grabbed my arm.

**AN- oooh, cliffhanger!**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the Twilight world. Stephanie Meyer does. If I did…I'd be rich!**

**AN- Hey guys! Sorry for over two weeks of absence, but this chapter was hard to write…so I split it up into TWO chapters! I had to try a little harder to get things to go the way I wanted to. It's especially long though so I hope that makes up for things.**

**Chapter 7**

Fingers wrapped themselves firmly around my wrist in a tight grasp. The attacker's other hand held my elbow. In one swift move, the person yanked me sideways out from under the covers while swinging me onto my back in a wide arc. I landed on the white rug with a _thud_ and the air was knocked from my lungs. I barely had a second to think before the same arm was tugged and I was dragged under the bed.

I tried to get in enough air to build up a scream when I saw who my attacker was.

"Nessie! What the hell!" I screeched when the air whooshed back into my lungs. She just giggled, "You've never called me by my nickname before."

"Yeah, well that's because I think your full name is pretty" I grumbled, rubbing my elbow. I was actually quite surprised that it didn't snap as she spun me like a rag doll.

She saw me looking at it and added, "Uncle Jasper taught me that move. I supported your arm well enough to prevent causing any damage. It's all about the hand placement." _Well thank you Uncle Jasper._

I coughed and asked her an obvious question. "Well _Nessie_, not that I'm unhappy to see you or anything…but…what on earth are you doing?" I demanded.

"Everyone went out to hunt and as soon as they left, I snuck in here and hid when you were in the bathroom" she shrugged.

"Okay, but _why _are you hiding under my bed?" I laughed.

"Mom and Dad wanted me to get some rest, but I wanted to talk to you. I figured I should hide incase they saw me though your windows. I wouldn't want to get caught." She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

I sighed and tried to slow down my heart—which was fluttering around in my chest like some small, frightened animal. I could feel the panicky _thump, thump, thump_ pounding away. Well, it seems I wont be getting much sleep tonight with all the adrenaline now coursing through my body.

"So…what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked her. I turned my head so I was now looking at the underside of my bed. It was surprisingly clean under here and dust-free. My thoughts were cut short when I noticed Renesmee's silence. I looked back at her to see why she had yet to speak.

She bit her lower lip and looked like she wanted to ask me something but was afraid. She shook her head slightly and smiled, wiping away her previous expression. "What do you think of Embry?" was what came from her mouth instead. I knew she wanted to ask me something else, though.

I was, however, caught a bit off guard. "Um, he's really nice…and _attractive_" I mentally slapped myself for that last part. Why did I just tell her that?

She giggled, "I think he really likes talking to you. I'm sure you feel the same way…" I nodded in response.

She continued "He's really good friends with Jake. They've know each other for almost their entire lives. We could all hang out and show you around town sometime this week?" She looked rather hopeful and I had to admit: my recently calmed-down heart was now about to leap out of my chest. Was this…_excitement_ that flowed through me?

Yes.

I was totally and completely excited to be with Embry for a few hours while I got to know the town.

I'd have to hunt soon before going out in crowded, public areas. Going to the mall recently was okay. The burn in my throat was muted at the time. While my half-vampire urges were nothing compared to a regular vampire, it still caused me some discomfort.

At that moment, I remembered that one, burning question I have been wanting to ask her. Pushing all thoughts of Embry aside, I piped up: "Renesmee, have you ever had…um…brief periods of bloodlust?" I asked timidly.

I searched her face for signs of emotion and I noticed the slight dilation of her pupils. Her nostrils flared as well. I instantly knew she must have had similar struggles and now she was reliving them through memory. She snapped out of her thoughts and locked her gaze onto mine. Her eyes widened in shock and then she quickly looked away in shame.

"Yes" she said in a small voice. "I was going to ask you about it a few minutes ago, but I chickened out." That must have been why she switched to talking about Embry.

"I was growing so quickly at the time. I went to see a movie with Jacob. We were seated in the very top row at the back of the theatre. I—I don't know what came over me, but one minute I was talking to Jake and the next minute I was about to rip some poor girl's throat out. I guess she was sitting in front of me and I got a whiff of her scent. I had put my hand on her shoulder and I was leaning into her hair when Jake pulled me away."

She was avoiding my gaze and she looked ashamed.

"Jake thought fast and explained to that girl that I mistook her for a friend of ours and I was 'trying to talk to her'. We ended up leaving the cinema altogether and I stayed home for weeks after that. It hasn't happened since, though. I can be around humans now just fine. Carlisle said it was brought on by an intense growth spurt." She looked at me now with eyes full of hope.

I sighed, "I killed three people. I drank from them during my growth spurts. It was terrible…" I trialed off. Soft arms wrapped around me. I was stunned.

Renesmee was hugging me.

I realized then that I had been crying. Sniffles came from Renesmee and she, too, seemed to be tearing up.

After a few moments, we pulled away and wiped the tears from our cheeks. She gave me a half-hearted smile, a small giggle, and said "You know, it's good to have a friend to talk to about stuff like this." I nodded back and gave a chuckle as well.

She took a deep breath, "Well, I'd better get some sleep if I don't want to be a zombie tomorrow when I go help down at the Rez." She scooted out from underneath the bed and I followed. She gave me one last hug and left the room, softly shutting the door behind her. A smile sneaked its way onto my face.

"Thanks for being my friend" I whispered, knowing that she could still hear me.

**XXX**

It had been a few days since Renesmee and I had our talk that night. It was now Friday afternoon and in a few minutes Jacob and Embry were going to take Nessie and I out around the town. I currently sat on Renesmee's giant purple and black bed in a robe while she desperately tried to find an outfit for me in her equally gigantic closet.

Renesmee was wearing a deep green blouse with navy blue shorts and black converse-style tennis shoes. Her ringlets were perfect and without frizz.

Alice had done my hair and makeup for me a few hours ago. She even taught me how to recreate the look, since I liked it so much. She had used hot rollers in my hair to give a subtle curl and volume to my thick hair. The makeup was my favorite: black eye shadow replaced typical eyeliner and it was concentrated along the lines of my eyelashes. Alice had then gently blended it until it smoked out in a gradual gradient. Two coats of pitch-black mascara were coating my lashes and a soft peachy blush was swept over my cheeks. Clear lipgloss was dabbed on my lips. I felt truly beautiful.

I had wondered why Alice wanted to dress me up so nice but she simply explained that she enjoyed dressing people up. I wasn't completely convinced that was the only reason…

"Perfect!" Renesmee cried. She twirled over to me and held out two hangers with items of clothing on them. I looked them over and saw that she had chosen a black shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. She flitted out of the room and came back with a pair of black flats that Rosalie gave me. She trotted happily over to me, put the clothes in my arms, and shooed me into the bathroom to change.

I was astounded. The shirt's top layer was lace, it had a shallow swoop neckline, and elbow-length sleeves. The fabric was thick and structured, but not stiff, and it added strength to the overall outfit. The fit of the shirt hugged my frame but then flared out at the waist. The deep hue of the jeans made my legs look longer. The outfit accentuated my good qualities and hid the bad ones. It was spot-on perfect and I concluded that Nessie must get her fashionable talent from her aunt.

When I emerged from the bathroom I was instantly tackled. Renesmee squealed and practically oozed happiness from her pores.

"You look so good! Alice and I are geniuses, admit it."

"Fine. You and Alice are fashion geniuses. I am forever in your debt. Etcetera, etcetera, I love you both. Can we go now?" I drawled out dramatically with a wave of my hand. My act broke and I erupted into giggles.

"I heard that" Alice shouted from downstairs. "The guys will be here in twenty seconds. My visions get hazy at that time. They're driving up as we speak…you are welcome, May!"

Renesmee grabbed our jackets and purses, handed me my stuff, and then we began to make our way down the stairs. Alice, Bella, and Esme 'oohed' and 'aahed' at our outfits. It was nice, but I couldn't understand why everyone was making such a big deal out of it. Suddenly, it hit me and I understood.

I grabbed Renesmee's elbow and hissed in her ear, "Are you trying to set me up with Jacob's friend?" I'm pretty sure that my eye began to twitch in utter frustration. I was mortified. I had never been on a date. This was going to be bad. Very bad.

"Nonsense! I'm just trying to kindle the spark you guys obviously have for each other. Don't think of it as a date. It's just a few friends hanging out." _Spark? What spark? _Okay, so maybe it was obvious that I found Embry 'interesting'. That didn't mean anything, though.

Did it?

I wasn't convinced. However, I didn't have much time to object to Renesmee's point because soon I heard car doors slamming shut and footsteps approaching the house. My heart sped up incredibly fast. I was instantly nervous. What if he didn't like my hair? Or my outfit? I mentally kicked myself for freaking out.

A knock was heard so I took in a deep breath and plastered a grin on my face. Bella opened the door and revealed Jacob's towering form filling up the doorway. Renesmee flitted to his side instantly and held his hand like it was second nature. They looked good together; so natural.

"Bye guys!" Renesmee called to her family. Jacob kissed the top of her head and held her against him. They moved onto the porch and out of view, exposing a very anxious looking Embry. My fake grin was replaced by a sincere one when his eyes landed on me. The late afternoon sun's rays shone around him, setting his russet skin alight. He wore black shoes, navy jeans, and a simple charcoal colored t-shirt that clung to his body in a distracting manner. I found myself walking towards him, although I don't remember telling my legs they could move. It was like gravity pulled me to him.

_Snap out of it! _I yelled to myself. I shook my head clear and remembered to wave goodbye to everyone. I could have sworn I saw Alice give me a wink before the door clicked shut behind us.

We strolled over to a shiny black Volvo. It was nice, but not at all flashy. Modest and reasonable. Ahead of us I heard Renesmee murmur to Jacob, "I miss the Rabbit".

"Rabbit?" I called out.

Jacob answered me, "My old car. It's a red '89 Volkswagen Rabbit. The Cullens gave me this car as 'repayment' after I did a lot of work for them. Plus, Edward thinks the Rabbit is a 'metal deathtrap'. Since I'm with Ness quite frequently, he wants the car I take her out in to be safe"

"And I _only _use this car when I'm with her. I think my old car is perfectly fine to drive around in" he said quite smugly.

Jacob and Renesmee climbed into the car and I was just about reach out to open the back door on Jacob's side of the car when Embry beat me to it. He opened it for me and I had to hide my blush by ducking my head down, allowing my hair to sweep in front of my face slightly. I squeaked out a "Thank you" and clamored into the seat. He shut she door, walked around to Nessie's side of the car, and in moments he was sliding into the seat next to mine.

The car started and Renesmee turned around in her seat to give me a thumbs up. I gave her a pointed glare and she stifled a giggle. Thankfully, Embry couldn't see her because her seat blocked his view.

Renesmee and Jacob began to talk excitedly about where we were to go first. After minutes of intense deliberation, it was decided that we would head to the La Push reservation. During the drive there, Jacob could drive through the small town and Renesmee would point out where things were. Coffee shops, grocery stores, bookstores, and even the high school. Renesmee told the story of how her parents met there. We awwed together at the sweet points of the tale.

Eventually we circled back around town to La Push and I realized how quiet Jacob and Embry were. The car was filled with an awkward silence and I just stared out the window. We were leaving the center of town and were now crawling along the outskirts of it. We winded down a road with the forest on both sides.

Forks was a beautiful place. Trees were everywhere your eyes landed. The evaporating rain created patches of misty fog that rolled in the dips and valleys of the earth.

My mind had thankfully drifted to the spectacular forest around us, but it snapped back to attention when I noticed the increasing temperature of the car.

"Jacob, could you please turn down the heater?" I requested. I could register hot and cold feelings, but they didn't bother me unless it was rather extreme. The air in the car was becoming uncomfortable for me, which meant it would have been completely stifling and unbearable to a human.

"The heater isn't on, May" he replied while sharing an odd look with Renesmee. I cocked my head and furrowed my brow. Where was the heat coming from? I wriggled around in my seat and when I shifted slightly to my right, I discovered the source of the warmth.

"Embry, you're hot" I stated.

His eyes snapped onto mine and he broke into a goofy grin. I suddenly regretted my poor word choice. My eyes widened and I could feel a blush threatening to appear.

"Oh no! I mean your skin—it's absolutely burning up! Are you sick?" I stuttered.

He chuckled, "It's a shifter thing. Our body temperature averages at a sweltering 108.9 degrees Fahrenheit." Humor shone in his eyes, but I caught a flash of some other hidden emotion that I couldn't place.

I nodded, embarrassed, and turned my attention back to the window. _Great. _This day was going downhill fast.

**XXX**

The car's tires rolled over gravel and slowly came to a stop. I must have dozed off for a few minutes because I had no idea where we were. I glanced out the windows and saw forest on my side of the car and open sky on the other.

Confused, I followed the others and we all climbed out of Jacob's Volvo. I soon found out that we were on a beach…well, the 'beach' consisted of pebbles. I frowned, but looked closer and noticed that the rocks that made up the beach were a variety of different colors. Actually, it was quite pretty; the 'beach' was like a rainbow.

"So, now that you've seen the town I figured we could show you around the reservation for a bit and then head to the diner for some chow" Renesmee commented as she strode over to me. I agreed that it sounded like a good idea to me. Jacob laced his fingers through hers and they strode a pace in front of Embry and I as we all began to walk along the beach.

A road ran parallel to the shore line and we followed it as we talked for a while. It was awkward for me at first, but then I reminded myself that this wasn't really a 'date'. We were all just hanging out while I got to know the area. Embry would point out his favorite parts of La Push: the cliffs, the looming trees not far off from the beach, the little houses that seemed so charming. Eventually we both just fell into a steady rhythm of strolling across the gravelly road while talking about little things.

As we walked my arm would occasionally brush against his accidentally. The contact instantly sent jolts of warmth up my shoulder. Confused, I stepped to the side half a pace. He seemed not to notice my move and I was glad. I didn't want to offend him but I the way his skin had felt against mine left me feeling odd. I knew for a fact that Embry peaked my interest, but why was I so intrigued by him?

It had been over half an hour of casual walking and chatting when we got closer to the center of the reservation. Embry, and even Jacob sometimes, would tell me where their friends lived. Sam, Jared, Seth and Leah, Quil, Paul…all of their homes were close together.

Quite a few people were walking about like our group. 'The Rez' as I've heard it nicknamed, was busy today. I noticed that a lot of the houses' windows were often left open. The people on the reservation migrated from home-to-home to visit each other like family. Doors were kept un-locked and neighbors casually strolled inside carrying food.

Embry must have caught my curious glances at the people. "It's the weekend. A lot of us like to visit, share food and recipes, catch up on how our friends and family are. It's kind of a big deal here…tradition, you know?"

He smiled at me and added "Well, it's always kind of like that. We just leave or homes open to each other anyways. If my mom is working late and didn't leave me a lasagna in the fridge…I just head over to Quil's place and his mom will make me something to eat."

Jacob laughed, "Yeah or we just go to Emily's since she loves baking. She always has her famous blueberry muffins fresh from the oven." As if on cue, his stomach growled noisily like a ravenous animal. Renesmee suggested that we head over to a diner about a block away. We then changed our direction and headed down another road, presumably to said diner.

I smiled and thought of just how trusting everyone here was. They seemed to have an open-door-policy and people came and went as they pleased to each other's homes like it was natural.

Everyone was like a giant family here and I longed to have that. A place where I could belong.

I longed for a sense of normalcy.

I thought of the Cullens and just how welcoming they were. How kind and thoughtful they had been. Suddenly, I realized that I wanted to stay here in Forks. Pain went through me as I remembered that I could only stay with them for the month.

I _could _get my own place to live…

I can get a job and use the last of my money that I brought to get a little apartment. Then I can visit Renesmee all the time! We could remain friends for a long time, although the looming threat of being hunted down by psychotic vampires dashed my hopes.

Jasper! Renesmee said that her uncle had taught her some fighting moves. Perhaps he could teach me to defend myself? If I learned how to defend myself, my window of time that I could stay here in forks seemed to get wider. I smiled at my new plan and at the fact that this could really work.

**XXX**

We reached the diner half an hour before sunset.

The building was charming and medium sized. It didn't have an overwhelming theme like the place I stopped at on my way across the country. The waitresses weren't forced to wear roller skates and pink skirts with poodles on them. There wasn't a neon juke box or checkered floor tiles.

Instead, the waitresses wore white blouses with simple dark colored slacks or pencil skirts. The floor was made up of black tile and the walls were tan. The presence was cozy and laid back; not at all overpowering. In fact, the only decorations were a few potted plants. I instantly liked this place a lot.

We were shown to a booth and I silently breathed a sigh of relief when Nessie chose to sit next to me while Jacob and Embry sat across from us. Now the only awkwardness would be the fact that Embry sat directly in my line of sight…_great. _

A waitress came over to hand us some menus and when Jacob and Embry saw her they instantly jumped up from the table.

"Sue!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

I looked to Renesmee, puzzled. "Seth's mom" she mouthed at me. I nodded. I looked back to see Jacob and Embry wrapping her in giant bear-hugs. When they finally sat back down, she laughed and smoothed out her charcoal pencil skirt and white blouse.

"Where's Mom?" Embry inquired.

"Her shift ended fifteen minutes ago. You just missed her I'm afraid. She had me save you and Jake each a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, though" she replied cheerily. Embry's face lit up and he thanked her.

I shifted in my seat and my elbow accidentally bumped the table. This caught her attention. "Oh, and who is this lovely lady?" She leaned down close to Embry's ear and whispered "Is she the new one?"

He nodded and blushed uncomfortably. _New one? _New what? New half-vampire, half-human around here? That didn't make much sense.

"Mrs. Clearwater, this is May" Renesmee introduced. Sue straightened up and greeted me with a huge grin. She seemed so warm and friendly and I instantly saw the resemblance to Seth. She then looked at me with an understanding that I couldn't quite place.

Jacob cleared his throat and Sue spoke up "So, what can I get you guys to drink?" We all asked for water and she left to give us some time to look over the menus.

Renesmee helped me out by pointing out the dishes that I would be able to easily keep down. I chose a steak with portabella mushrooms and mashed potatoes on the side. I could try this whole 'introducing human food to my system' thing that Nessie was so into.

The others already knew what they wanted and Renesmee and Jacob were now eagerly conversing. I continued to read the menu for something to distract myself during this time. I could feel Embry's gaze on my face and soon a blush threatened to appear on my cheeks. I bit my bottom lip as I fought to appear composed.

_Stop looking at me. Stop looking at me. Stop it…_

Renesmee giggled and prodded me in the side. Obviously, the blush had sneaked it's way onto my face despite my attempts and she had seen it. I looked pointedly at her, but thankfully Sue returned for our orders.

She left with the menus and I frowned down at the now empty table top. Where was I gonna look now? I nervously stole a glance upwards and saw that Embry was looking past me and out the window by my head. His brow was knitted together in concentration and his gaze was far away. He seemed deep in thought.

His eyes snapped onto mine. He had caught me being the one staring now. A small smile appeared on his face and I smiled back weakly. I then tried to divert my attention to my water. I looked down at my lap and sipped through the straw while trying to focus on anything but his eyes.

I was soon snapped out of my thoughts by an empty whooshing sound. Surprisingly, I had drunk all of my water and now the straw could only guzzle air and mere drops of partially melted ice cubes.

Setting the glass down disappointedly, I crossed my legs and kicked my foot lightly and in rhythm to a song that was stuck in my head. This went on for awhile and seemed to distract me quite well…at least until my foot came in contact with something hard. A grunt escaped Jacob's lips and I quickly looked up in shock.

I had just kicked Jacob Black in the leg.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" I fretted. I glanced around the table and saw Nessie stifling a laugh, Jacob seemed to be composing himself well, and Embry looked…odd, pained was a closer description. Things could not get any worse.

It got worse.

While I was panicking and mumbling my apologies to Jacob, I somehow managed to knock over my glass of melting ice. It scattered over the table and the majority of the ice just so happened to land right on Embry's lap.

My eyes widened in horror and his were just as equally wide. He abruptly stood up from his seat and started brushing off his pants with a napkin.

I wasn't like this before. Ever.

I was _never_ a clumsy person.

I wasn't even that shy!

But somehow Embry Call had managed to turn me into a complete and total mess.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the Twilight world. Stephanie Meyer does. If I did…I'd be rich!**

**AN- This is a little short compared to the other chapters, which is why I am uploading it back-to-back with the previous chapter! They go hand in hand together. This is the date (part two!)**

**Chapter 8**

**Embry's POV**

The afternoon had been going well. I showed May around La Push with the help of Jake and Nessie. I answered any questions she had and pointed out the best things about the reservation to her. She seemed interested and happy to be out and around the area.

My feelings for her hadn't changed. They were still just as strong as before, but I knew that there was no need to rush. I didn't have this uncontrollable urge to smother her with protection or shower her with love. I didn't need to coddle her, watch every step she took to make sure she wouldn't trip over something. I felt confident in the way she held herself.

For years I had watched the Jake, Sam, Jared, Quil, and Paul's thoughts through the pack mentality. To me, they were worrying constantly about their imprints. Now that I was in their position, I had a better understanding: they weren't necessarily fussing over them like they were weak, they just wanted what was best for their imprints.

I was relieved to know that I could relax and just enjoy her company. The only thing I had to worry about was the vampires that wanted to harm her. _Drain her dry, _she had said. I frowned. But the pack was running patrols in order to prevent things like that from happening. She was safe for the moment, and now I could talk to her and get to know her better.

We reached the diner and I was absolutely starving. I was going to have two steaks, at least…maybe four. Hopefully Mom had saved me some thing. She knew I had a sweet tooth.

Surprisingly, Sue was our waitress. It turns out that Mom went home earlier than I expected. Luckily, she had saved some chocolate cake for Jake and I. When she saw May with us, she instantly turned to me and asked "Is she the new one?" News of my imprinting had spread across the reservation like wildfire. Everyone knew that Embry Call finally had himself an imprint.

_Is she the new one?_

I nodded, slightly embarrassed. Sue would probably tell her friends and neighbors after her shift how she had gotten to meet the 'new imprint'. Sue looked overjoyed at my answer and I was worried that she was going to embarrass me further. Thankfully, she soon left to go get our waters.

I looked at May to see how she had taken to Sue but I was surprised to see her still reading the menu after her and Nessie had already discussed what they were going to order. I looked further and noticed that her eyes stayed glued into one spot on the sheet. _She wasn't even reading it. _

Her long eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly and I caught the movement. She had glanced from the edge of her vision and without a doubt, caught my staring. A soft blush crept its way along her skin. I smiled inwardly at the though that I got the reaction out of her.

Sue returned with our waters and took the menus from us. I looked out the large window behind May and thought of ways I could get her to open up. Earlier she had seemed rather confident. I suppose being in a more enclosed environment with people she barely knew would make her nervous? No, that wasn't it. I wonder…

I felt her eyes on my face and I glanced at her. I was just able to catch a flash of blue before she looked down at the table. I couldn't get over her eyes. Brown eyes were very common around the reservation. All the vampires here had gold eyes. Even Nessie had Bella's chocolate eyes from when she was still human. May's eyes were striking, icy blue…

A grunt sounded next to me. I quickly looked at Jake and the whole table erupted into chaos. May looked rather appalled while Nessie was in a fit of laughter. I realized that May must have accidentally kicked Jake from under the table.

I just shrugged it off. Jake would have felt the pain of it since she was half-vampire and had more strength, but I could tell that he had already gotten over it. He tried to assure May that he was fine, but she was so afraid that she had cause him harm that she was fretting over him.

She was now leaning heavily over the table, mumbling about how sorry she was. All of her dark hair flowed over her left shoulder like a curtain, revealing her pale and slender neck. Suddenly, I went rigid in my seat. Her shirt wasn't low cut at all…but from the way she was positioned, I was presented with a view of the up-most swells of her breasts.

Emotions and feelings began to stir in my stomach.

I couldn't breathe.

My inner wolf roared at me over our imprint. She glanced at me with, yet another worried glance, and those bright blue eyes of hers really got to me. I had to hold back a growl. Luckily before things got out of hand, her glass tipped over and spilled frigid ice water all over my lap, efficiently dousing the flames of my…fire.

I hardly knew my imprint at all! I wanted to take things very slowly with her, but she was making it difficult to do just so.

**May's POV**

When the food reached our table, it was a welcome distraction. It's pretty hard to talk when you're busy wolfing down a sixteen ounce steak. The sides I ordered had intimidated me, but after looking to Renesmee for reassurance, I was pleasantly surprised to find how delicious the entire meal was.

After we all had finished our dinners, Sue brought out two large pieces of dark chocolate forest cake for Embry and Jacob. They practically swallowed the slices whole and would have licked the plates clean if we weren't out in public.

Nessie paid for the bill surprisingly and said that it was a gift to us all from Alice…whatever that was supposed to mean.

We drove home with mild conversation here and there. When we pulled up the long driveway up to the house, Jacob and Renesmee said that they were heading to the cottage for some 'alone time'. Jacob parked the car, then he and Renesmee hopped out of it quickly. They ran off into the night, holding hands of course, and I turned to Embry with wide eyes.

He chuckled "It's not like that. Their standard of 'alone time' consists of watching movies together on the couch."

I just managed to force out a half-hearted laugh. I didn't know much about her relationship with Jacob, but I just hoped that he made her happy and wouldn't end up hurting her in any way.

After a moment, Embry accompanied me up to the front door. The walk to the porch was slow and silent. The only sounds I could make out were the leaves from the forest trees rustling in the wind, and Embry's strong, steady heartbeat. When we stopped in front of the door I noticed his heartbeat pick up.

_Was he nervous? _No, he couldn't be…

"Well, May…it looks like this is your stop" he pointed out.

"Yeah" I said lamely. Leaning with my back against the front door, I bit my bottom lip while he just continued to stand there and watch me. Oh God, was he gonna kiss me? That is _such _a cliché. I hoped he wouldn't try anything on me.

But did I _want _him to kiss me?

…of course not! That would be totally creepy. I barely even knew this guy! Yet, part of me wasn't so sure I would have objected if he tried to.

He shut his eyes and inhaled a deep breath through his nose. After a few moments he sighed, opened his eyes and smiled down at me. Okay, this was getting weird. My stomach felt funny. Butterflies? No! It must have been all the human food I ate. Without taking my eyes off of his, my hand fumbled behind me for the doorknob. I turned it quickly and half fell, half stumbled backwards into the house.

Embarrassed, I just shut the door hastily, put my back up against it, and slid down onto the floor. Poor guy, I hoped I didn't hurt his feelings…I just wasn't feeling too great at the moment.

Surprisingly, I heard a chuckle from the other side of the door. "It was nice to meet you May. I'll see you around" he called out. _He wasn't mad? _Curious, I peeked through the curtain covering the long window that ran parallel next to the door.

I saw him turn around, still laughing quietly to himself. He leapt from the porch and jogged into the forest. Seconds later a drawn out, powerful and proud howl erupted from the forest that he just recently vanished into. I could have sworn I heard the humorous tone he so often had in his voice echo in his wolf's call. Was he mocking me?

Crazy kid.

I slowly got up from my spot on the floor and crept up to my room. I began to wonder why the house was so quiet. I almost became worried, but when I reached my room I spotted a note taped to my door.

_May,_

_I saw that you would need some time to mull over your thoughts. The entire family is out hunting. You'll be safe alone tonight. The wolves are patrolling the area._

_~Alice_

_P.S. You are definitely going to tell me everything tomorrow! I can't make out exactly what you will say to me in the morning, but you better spill all the good news!_

I grumbled, tossed the paper into the bathroom trashcan, and then changed into my pajamas. I slid into bed and the cool sheets helped calm me down. Sighing, I snuggled into my pillows and tried to relax. I decided to take Alice's advice…I mulled over what had happened this evening.

_Yes_, I had found him insanely interesting from almost day one. He was the first person to show me so much compassion when I had arrived. He was friendly and seemed, overall, like a really good person.

_Yes_, just one look from him had made me act completely un-like my normal self today.

_Yes_, I had told Renesmee a few days ago that I found Embry attractive (on accident I might add) and…well, I did. What wasn't there to like?

But despite all of those things, he was more of an acquaintance. I didn't know him that well and I desperately needed to reign in my crazy emotions. I couldn't make out what exactly it was that I felt for him, but I knew for a fact that I didn't _like _like him. I was positive.

There was just _something _about him that drew me towards him unconsciously. Whatever it was, it was without a doubt the root of the problem that had been making me so unnerved.

It needed to stop.

A thought came to my mind and I instantly saw the light at the end of the dark tunnel I was stuck in…

I was going to stay away from Embry Call.

**AN-Lemme know what you think! Review, follow, favorite, anything! I love getting alerts and reviews, they honestly make my day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the world of Twilight.**

**AN- Thanks for reading XD **

**Chapter 9**

I woke up the next morning feeling a bit determined. I was going to avoid Embry for good. I mean—I didn't want to potentially hurt the guy (as if I, someone he had known for a few days, would even have any effect on him anyways) but he was transforming me into a completely new person. I liked my old self! What was wrong with the old me? I've had to deal with enough change already when I ran away from my home in order to keep from becoming some bloodthirsty vampires' next meal.

Biting back a feeling telling me that my problem really ran deeper than I expected, I crawled out of bed and shuffled across the hall to Renesmee's room.

I needed to run off my frustration. Last night (or morning technically since she tiptoed into the house at 3 AM), she had promised me we would go for a run together.

She was oud cold like a rock. Practically in a sleep coma.

"Wake up" I prodded as I gently shook her shoulder. I was usually the one to sleep in the most and I found it rather odd that she was still fast asleep. Jake must have tired her out.

"No…" she moaned. I pulled the blankets off of her in one swift motion, but she just curled up in a fetal position. She was not going to get herself up easily. I resorted to another tactic…

I poked her forehead repeatedly and made beeping noises.

"What time is it?" she grumbled, covering her head with a pillow.

"Already after twelve. Congratulations Nessie, you've officially slept in longer than me"

Her eyes bolted open and she sat up abruptly. "Oh gosh! I totally forgot about our jog!" I doubted we would do much jogging. I needed to full out sprint for a long while to clear my head.

She rolled off of the mattress and trotted over to her closet. She pulled a few hangers off a rack and then rifled through her drawers. I became confused when she started tossing some garments of clothing at me.

"What are these for?" I inquired.

She didn't pause her actions and just mumbled a reply in my direction "You can use those clothes to run in until you can buy your own." She took some more clothing into her bathroom and shut the door. I could her the rustling of fabric and knew that she was changing.

I looked down at my hands and found a light turquoise sports bra and black shorts. Both pieces of clothing appeared far too small to cover any body part. I frowned at them distastefully. "Renesmee, I am _not _going to be running through the woods half naked! Especially with wolf-shifters patrolling the area!"

She opened up her bathroom door and sighed, "The fabric stretches easily. You'll be appropriately covered. Trust me." She tossed a pair of plain white sneakers my way. I noticed that she seemed to have the same outfit on now as the clothes I held in my hands. Hers were purple and black rather than my blue and black ones.

I grumbled my way down the hall to my room and changed into the scraps of clothing. I figured that if we just 'happened to accidentally' run into the wolves, AKA Jacob, she wouldn't mind being caught looking the way she was…and neither would he. I slipped on the blue bra and was thankful that it had built in padding and under wire—I would have felt even more naked without them.

I soon found myself gliding through the dense forest with a giggling Renesmee not far behind.

We weren't far from her house, just a few yards from seeing the tree line actually. We sprinted in a wide arc, circling the property. The terrain was a bit bumpy and we had to jump over fallen trees and logs every now and then, but it provided the challenge we needed as half vampires anyways.

The first few laps were a breeze. Easy. However, after twenty laps I could now feel my muscles working hard to push my body. A dull ache was building in my legs and thighs and I welcomed the feeling. We both ran for just over an hour and I was pleased with the results. Running took all the stress from my body and left me spent with sore muscles, quivering as the adrenaline and endorphins coursed through my veins.

We trudged back to the house, breathing heavily and murmuring plans to go for long runs at least once a week.

As we strode into the kitchen, we discovered that the whole family had returned during our venture in the woods. Renesmee and I sat on the barstools and huffed in attempts to catch our breath. Esme placed a pitcher of ice cold lemonade on the counter in front of us. I gladly gulped down a tall glass while the family moved about.

Rosalie and Emmet went upstairs after murmured 'Hello's. Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle dispersed into the living room. Alice, Esme, and Bella were the only ones left in the kitchen.

"So May, would you care to inform me why I had a vision last night of you acting distant and awkward to a particular someone, a wolf perhaps? Hmmm?" Alice prodded. She obviously meant Embry.

I sighed as I poured myself some more lemonade and then held it to my forehead. The cool condensation on the glass felt nice on my skin. "Not really, but I suppose you wont let it go until I finally tell you" I grumbled. She just smiled innocently at me like a little child.

Setting the glass back on the counter, I spun around in my seat to face her. "I spilled ice water all over his crotch!" I blurted. Emmet roared out a laugh upstairs and I frowned. Bella looked at me with understanding and murmured how it was okay to be nervous. She explained how exceptionally clumsy she was as a human while she dated Edward.

I let out a groan, "That's the point! I'm _never _clumsy. At all! He made me all nervous and I couldn't stop thinking about how completely absurd the whole situation was. I mean, I was only here in forks for about a week and _someone _here" I shot daggers at Renesmee with my eyes "tries to set me up with her boyfriend's best friend and everything goes to crap!" I wailed.

Renesmee winced "Sorry about that. I mean, your only gonna be here for a month and I thought I would try to push things along to speed them up." Her words hit me like a giant semi truck…_I was only going to be here for a month. _

I sighed "Yeah, a month! What's the point of talking to some guy for one month, huh?" Recognition flashed over her features as my words set in. She didn't know that I hoped to stay here in town longer and get a job and apartment. Why would she try to get me interested in a guy if she thought I would only be here for a few more weeks?

"Look, I appreciate you trying and all, Renesmee, I really do. Embry is a nice guy to talk to and I get that—but I don't want to try to start a relationship this fast. I'd really like to spend my time here getting any help I can in my situation with those crazy vamps out to get me. I would also like to focus on my new friends here" I added gently as I nudged Nessie with my shoulder. Bella smiled our way as she saw that her only daughter was finally building ties with someone other than family or pack members.

My plan from yesterday afternoon crossed my mind at that moment and all thoughts of Embry lost my attention. "Hey Jasper?" I called out and he instantly flitted into the room.

"Do you think you could train me how to fight? Just a few moves here and there, some blocking skills, evasion techniques. I'd really like to be able to protect myself more efficiently against those creeps. Renesmee had told me that you helped teach her some things?" I left out the part where I planned to find a way to stay here in town after the month was over.

I figured that I should wait to tell them I wanted to get an apartment and job here. If I learned enough from Jasper by that time, I hoped to prove to them I wasn't weak. If I was going to be building a life in their town, possibly attracting malicious vampires to the area, the least I could do was hold my own against them instead of being a burden to the original family here.

He pondered my idea for a millisecond, all the time a quick vampire mind needed to mull thoughts over, and then he gave a curt nod. I beamed happily in my seat. Just then, Edward then flashed into the kitchen.

"May, this is a serious thing you're thinking about here." My eyes grew wide as I realized he could have heard all of my intentions. Would he disapprove?

He shook his head and went on "Fighting. It's a serious thing. You're only half vampire."

Jasper piped in "We can try to find your limits. Your strengths and weaknesses we can help you discover, but be careful. We don't want you to think you can handle rouge vampires if you really can't. We'll be honest with you when we find everything out. Okay?" I nodded.

"Okay. So, how about in an hour? We can start then and you'll have sixty minutes to recover from your run earlier" Jasper offered.

A large smile appeared on my face and I bolted upright from my seat, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I squealed happily. I hugged him and then ran up to my room to change into more appropriate clothing to train in.

**XXX**

Sure enough, an hour later I stood in the backyard of the property in pants and a t-shirt with my hair in a high ponytail. Renesmee Sat in the grass off to my right with Bella and Edward.

Jasper and Alice were in front of me and they displayed different hits, blocking, and evading moves. I watched silently and filed away in my mind how the movements looked. Sure, for my eyes they were probably moving a lot slower than they normally would. Alice ducked, spun, and kicked Jasper in his chest but her grabbed her foot and pulled her to him. It was a move he would have definitely seen coming. He placed a kiss on her neck and murmured "I win".

She giggled, wriggled out of his grasp, and took a step back, "I knew you would have caught me" and then she moved back a few more paces to give him plenty of room to teach.

"Okay, so those were very simple moves, just to give you an example of what we can start with" he stated and I simply nodded, excited to learn. "We can start with defensive movements for now, I'll teach you how to block my hits."

He bent down and patted the sides of my ankles, telling me to move my feet farther apart. He then grabbed my shoulders gently and moved them back and to the side so I was upright and facing to the left slightly. Walking behind me, he nudged the backs of my knees with his feet so that they were bent a little.

"There, that is a more secure stance. If someone is coming at you from a side, you just twist slightly at the waist to face them better. If they're too far to a certain side, you move whichever foot is on that same side back a bit farther to accommodate. If they're coming at you head on, whichever foot is on your dominate side…I'm assuming it is your right side…you keep that foot behind you more."

I tried to memorize the feeling of the stance. It felt more grounded and easy to stay upright in an attack.

"Now", he said as he moved my right arm up in front of me "keep one arm blocking your neck. The other blocks your stomach." He moved my left arm in front of my torso. "Adjust your arms accordingly to fit your situation, but that position is a basic one."

For the next forty-five minutes Jasper aimed slow, deliberate hits in my direction. I knew he was going easy on me…by a lot, but we were just starting off slowly. Eventually I learned to block kicks, punches, and various onslaughts at a slow pace. Every once and awhile he would shout out "Bend your knees more!" or "Be aware of where your attacker's hands are at all times!" and the most occurring "Keep your feet firmly planted!"

His speed picked up slightly over the next hour—as did mine. He got in a few hits that I was unable to block and they stung a little, but I needed the motivation. My shoulders and the sides of my ribcage took the most blows. The more frequently he hit me, the more drive kicked in to my muscles. And the harder I tried, the faster Jasper's onslaughts got because my endurance would rise and he figured we would more on to a higher level of quickness and strength.

It was challenging.

By late afternoon, I was beat. My limbs felt like jell-o and a thin sheen of sweat covered my body. Bella and Edward had left long ago to the cabin and Nessie was at Jacob's house. Alice was the only one left of our audience and she would point out things to me that Jasper couldn't pick up on.

"Okay, you look like you were hit by a train. I think it's time our session ended for the day" Jasper stated lightly. He still held the perfection of a vampire. Not a hair was out of place on his head while my hair probably looked like a bird's nest.

I laid out on the grass and closed my eyes. My breathing was shallow and came out in loud huffs. My chest rose and fell quickly as I came down from my adrenaline high. I managed to nod in agreement.

"We can do this every day, or every other day if you need. We'll start off slow and work our way up in speed. I can keep teaching you to block, then eventually we can move on to escape tactics and minor attacking moves" he suggested. Right, _minor _attacks. I was beginning to realize just how weak I was compared to full on vampires.

"Jasper, please be honest with me", I murmured with my eyes still closed "could I ever actually hold my own against _them_" implying those creeps that came after me.

His silence was all the response I needed.

Was I fooling myself? How could I think I actually had a reasonable option in all of this? Fighting _vampires_! He must have felt my despair because he offered an answer "Maybe not now, you don't. But perhaps with more training, you'll be able to escape another attempt on your life and buy just enough time to get help…" I just nodded weakly.

"Would you like to come inside for something to eat, Dear?" Esme called to me. I mumbled out a "No thank you, Esme" and then I heard Jasper and Alice leave the yard to enter the house. I just stayed put, laying on my back with my eyes shut. I tried to get my mind off of how hopeless I felt and instead focused on the sounds of birds chirping cheerily and the dry autumn leaves rustling in the wind.

I should probably head inside for a shower, but I didn't trust my legs to carry me all the way up to my room just yet. The weather wasn't too chilly for Fall and I enjoyed laying in the grass. The longer I stayed, the more I put off thoughts of going inside. With a sigh, I found myself slowly drifting off into that place between sleep and consciousness.

I could still clearly hear the surrounding noise around me, but my thoughts were muddled and thick with exhaustion. I don't know exactly how long I stayed like this, but I suddenly picked up voices coming my way.

One voice was Nessie's and I assumed the deep voice I heard was Jacob's. He must be dropping her off from his house.

A third voice came out of nowhere. It was paired with a rich, warm laugh. I knew that laugh anywhere.

My eyes snapped open and I abruptly sat up from my place on the ground. My gaze landed on those light brown eyes of Embry Call's. He strode up to me, calm and collected. A lazy grin was on his face and he breathed out a "Hey, May!"

I stood up quickly and dusted off the dirt from my pants. "Hey, there Embry" I said slowly. Dismissively, I just turned to Nessie and asked her how her day went, focusing on her instead. She went on happily about how her and Jake had visited Billy (whom she explained was Jacob's dad) and they all watched TV together. Then later they walked around the reservation and eventually ran into Embry. I don't understand why he had to come back over here to the Cullens' place though and I became confused.

Speaking of Embry, he cleared his throat and spoke up "So, Ness tells me that you're training with Jasper?"

I glared at Renesmee and then turned back to him. "Yeah, just hoping to learn a few things. No big deal"

He nodded. "Well, if you ever feel like you need a break from all the training, you're welcome to come over to the Rez and visit the pack…" By _the pack _he probably meant himself. A part of me wanted to take him up on that offer, but I reminded myself that I had bigger things to focus on.

I decided to turn down the suggestion lightly "Sorry, I really need all the training I can get right now. I don't think I'm gonna have much time to go anywhere soon." I shrugged.

He frowned slightly and looked confused. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he mumbled "Yeah, I understand. Just…just let me know if you need any help. Talk to Ness, she can spread the message to Jake and then he can reach me." I pressed my lips into a hard line and gave one curt nod.

He and Jacob turned to head back to La Push and I linked my arm through Renesmee's. I was about to step into the house when I heard my name once more. "May…" I looked back at Embry over my shoulder. "Be safe, okay?"

"Sure thing Embry."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the character May and my plotline!**

**Chapter 10**

Today marked a week of my training. Every morning I went for a routine run through the woods. Sometimes Renesmee joined me, but she didn't want to make it an 'every day' kind of a thing like I did. Most days I just ran by myself.

After the long run, which consisted of a few hours, I would change clothes and grab a bite to eat. Then the training would begin.

Jasper would start off easy, aiming different hits my way and I would block them. He'd increase steadily in his vampire speed and this in turn helped build my skills. I had _very _basic training from Uncle Ted and he had always promised me that I would learn to fight…but I guess he ran out of time to do so in life. Now with Jasper, I had a tiny sliver of hope. Each day I lasted longer until eventually he moved too fast for me and would hit me with a 'kill shot'.

But I felt like I was improving.

Shockingly, Jasper actually admitted just so. I almost didn't believe him on the third day when he said he was using just over half of his vampire strength, speed, and force against me. Even more surprising was the fact that I could continue fighting against that speed.

In between fighting moves, Jasper would tell me his story. He explained how he became a vampire, how he was trained, how he fought. It gave me some insight on just how lucky I was to have him teaching me.

Renesmee would come out to watch sometimes. She gave support and cheered me on. Jacob would come visit her and a few members of the pack would show up as well. Leah, Seth, Quil, and even Sam (rarely I might add) came by for supplies and meals in between patrol shifts. I met Collin and Brady a few times and they were like long lost twins to each other. They were younger, sillier, full of energy and life. I liked them. Sadly, they never stayed long though because Embry would show up and tell them to get back to work patrolling.

I don't know what was going on with him, but he always seemed to pop up at the most inconvenient of times. Every time I saw him now, it just happened to be towards the end of a training session an hour before sunset. He'd stroll out of the woods without a care in the world and just_ stand there. _

I would try to ignore him and instead focus on the stances Jasper was attempting to teach me but then _he _had the nerve in him to point out randomly if my stance was off.

_What on earth!?_

It went on like this every day now, late in the late afternoon he'd appear out of the tree line around the property (just released from patrol, without a doubt). He would acknowledge whoever was outside with Jasper and I at the moment, then cross his arms over his chest and observe.

Unless it was to annoyingly correct my moves, Embry usually stayed silent for the remainder of the session. Then, every sunset when training ended, Jasper would summarize how my progress was evolving. He'd go over my limits and strengths to me, and I'd get a general feel for how my things was going. He'd then head inside the house and talk with the family, leaving me alone with Embry.

This was the worst part. Embry would have some sort of criticism for me and then suddenly suggest us hanging out sometime. I'd decline politely, he'd look confused, and then we'd go our separate ways: I'd run to my room upstairs, and he'd go inside the kitchen for whatever meal Esme was making for the pack. Sometimes my ears would pick up on small talk exchanged between him and the Cullens, he'd thank Esme for the home cooked meal, and then I'd watch him head back out into the forest from my bedroom window.

Today was no different.

I was currently practicing a more efficient way to keep Jasper's hand from reaching my throat if he was attacking from my right. I knew the moves, but if I was a millisecond late—or even too early then Japer would get a perfect shot and I would be 'dead'.

1...2...3..._block_

I took a deep breath in through my nose and caught a glimpse of Embry out of the corner of my eye. He looked irritated today. I supposed he'd been getting more and more annoyed that I was ignoring him, but he shouldn't let it bother him. I'd talked to the guy for only a day or two, after all. He should easily be able to forget me and go meet some pretty girl who was nice to him that he could actually hang out with.

Jasper rushed at me again. _Duck, swerve, stand, block—-_too late, kill-shot. I was now considered 'dead'.

"Your feet need to be planted farther apart."

"Bend your knees more"

I was too early this time and Jasper got in a second kill-shot.

"Square off your shoulders"

"You're too tense"

All these things were being shouted at me during our sparring. Embry was becoming increasingly more vocal in pointing out my flaws. It felt like he and Jasper were taking turns constantly over-correcting me and I was getting sick of it. I was off my game, sure, but Embry really didn't need to be here to tell me that. My frustration was rising and making my reflexes worse.

Jasper had just knocked me to the ground and pinned me by my throat for the third time in a row. He gently removed himself, stood up, and offered me a hand to help me get back on my feet.

I groaned as I dusted the dirt off of my pants. I halted my actions suddenly as a voice reached my ears.

"You're losing momentum" and my eyes widened, then narrowed in mild annoyance. "You need to be more prepared, May. Perhaps you should—" Embry started but I cut him off.

"No!" I blurted out loudly at him.

"But your stance was off and—" he tried, but I interrupted him for the second time now.

"Don't even start!" I warned. He just raised an eyebrow skeptically at me. _Where had that come from? _My frustration was getting away from me and I wanted to stop, but it felt like the first crack in the dam had started long ago and now my anger had finally come flooding out. I strode over to him quickly.

"Who do you think you are? Just showing up here, thinking you can give corrections. Last time I checked, _Jasper _was the one supposed to be training me. _Not you!_" I shouted, my pointer finger poked him squarely in the chest with each word for added emphasis. I don't know why I was in such a fit of rage. It was like some other force was moving me.

His eyes narrowed into slits, much like mine. "I'm only trying to help…as a friend. I just wanted to be of assistance."

"No!" I cut in "You wanted to work your way into my life! I already told you, I'm not looking for a relationship. I don't have any extra time to have everyone tell me who I should date. I don't _need _to be told what to do like my opinion doesn't matter…like _I _don't even matter!" I all but screamed this into his face. He blinked and jerked back abruptly like my words had stung him.

This was not normal. Something was very wrong here. I shouldn't be this angry. I was practically in a fit of rage. The Cullens were beginning to rush out into the backyard from the house. When Renesmee saw me she moved to rush to my side but Edward held her hand gently and shook his head. Seeing an audience before me, I almost snapped out of my state of mind, but Embry just sucked me back in.

"You know what I think? I think you're just afraid. Afraid that everyone's suggestions aren't that far off. You're act like you're so off-put by the fact that everyone is trying to 'force' us to be around each other…when you actually don't mind it that much at all!" he taunted and a low growl ripped through my body at his words. Jasper stepped in closely behind me, worried.

But Embry wasn't done.

He leaned in close enough so that our noses almost touched. His warm breath stroked my face as he whispered "You're _scared _that you might actually be interested in me."

That comment snapped a wire in me. I snarled loudly and moved to shove him firmly in the chest but he knew it was coming. He backed up too quick for me to catch, my senses blinded by anger. I stumbled, hitting nothing but thin air and started to fall forward with a gasp.

Out from behind me, a hand reached out and grabbed my elbow. My hand tightly gripped the forearm of the person trying to keep me from hitting the ground. My hand slipped and slid down their arm, but my fingers clung desperately for traction and sunk into their skin. A sharp intake of breath sounded behind me.

Everything was moving too fast and somehow I ended up steadily back on my feet. I finally realized that it was Jasper that saved my from falling.

I had just opened my mouth to thank him when I noticed he was holding his arm strangely.

Taking a step towards him, I peered down at his arm. What I saw took my breath away:

Long, jagged tears in the skin of his arm…and they weren't just superficial scratches. They sunk deep into his flesh as if he had been slashed with a blade. _I had caused that! _The quick intake of breath I had heard earlier was Jasper…hissing in _pain_. I gasped in horror and covered my mouth with my hands. Memories of the humans I had killed popped into my mind. The sounds of a vampire being ripped apart in Ted's apartment the day I left Europe rang through my ears. I looked at the audience gathered around me and started shaking my head back and forth slowly.

Edward flashed to my side at vampire speed. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down so that his face was level with mine. He murmured soothingly "May, it's okay. May…May stop, it's fine. Jasper is fine…he's not angry at you. _We're all _not angry at you."

He had read my mind and saw that I was so scared of hurting people. Fear coursed though me at the idea that the Cullen family would get mad at me. I had acted like a total monster!

Alice flitted over to Jasper and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She turned and headed over to me. Taking my hands into hers, she looked up at my eyes and steadily spoke "May, all of that was supposed to happen. I saw it in a vision last night and told the others. You were supposed to get angry, rush at Embry, fall forward and have Jasper catch you. Then we would discover something very enlightening…human-vampire hybrids can defend themselves pretty well after all." She was smiling, despite the fact that I had injured her mate.

Alice gently prodded me closer to Jasper and Carlisle flashed over to us.

Jasper was breathing calm, deep breaths through his nose while Carlisle assessed the wounds. Obviously Jasper couldn't bleed, but if he was human I'd say he'd have a high chance of bleeding out right now. The gashes went pretty deep and cut through layers of tissue. I had to look away.

It was pretty graphic.

Carlisle put his hands on either side of Jasper's forearm and held the wounds closed as he spoke "It appears that May and Nessie have an extra trick under their sleeves that has just been revealed to us. May, here has demonstrated the strength and razor-sharp qualities of her nails on vampire skin." He chuckled and removed his hands from Jasper's arm. The gashes were completely sealed shut now. Faint white, raised edges were all that remained. I looked down at his arm incredulously.

"Pressure on the wound helps it to heal faster" Edward answered me. I turned to look at him questioningly.

_Did I hurt Jasper? I mean…was he in a lot of pain? _I thought to him.

"A little, but it's nothing he can't handle. It's okay, May" he responded.

_Thank you._

He smiled at me reassuringly and I turned back to Jasper. "How's it going there?" I inquired nervously.

"The stinging has faded a lot by now. It should heal completely without a scar in no time. Since you are non-venomous and didn't bite me in the first place, it should have no reason to leave a lasting mark" Jasper responded promisingly as he prodded the light lines gently to inspect them.

I smiled weakly at him and then asked Carlisle "So you guys never knew that Renesmee had this ability? I mean, you never had an incident where she accidentally scratched someone?" Edward and Bella looked to each other and shook their heads slowly.

"Well, the same goes for you too May. You didn't happen upon this situation either with your Uncle from the Volturi?" Edward proposed and I responded with a similar head shake. I never had a condition where I scratched Ted.

I just caught a thought. A tiny detail stuck with me. "That was because of you, wasn't it Jasper. You used your gift to make me angry." _Enraged _was more of an accurate description. I remember feeling possessed by some outside force. That degree of anger just wasn't in me.

He nodded meekly. "I was trying to get you worked up and push you over the edge, like Alice instructed should happen. Every now and then, though, you'd fight to grasp more control. I could feel my grip slip up a bit, but then Embry would catch on and just draw you back in with his words."

I turned back to look at the tall figure that had been silent for the past five minutes. So he was in on it too? Alice had informed everyone on what was to happen, and how to make sure everything played out as intended.

Embry was told to rile me up, while Jasper cranked up my emotions even further like turning the dial on a thermostat.

He stood there awkwardly, hands clasped in front of him, eyes downcast.

"Well, that was some pretty good acting there. At least it got the job done" I chuckled lamely at him. He didn't look up, but offered a shrug and mumbled "Yeah…" My eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something was up with him.

My attention was drawn back to the Cullens. "Tomorrow's training looks sufficiently more promising now, May. We can begin to work with your newly discovered ability. I actually believe we can move on to offensive attacks now" Jasper said. I smiled widely and my expression was full of hope.

"Renesmee can learn to fight better as well!" Bella exclaimed. She looked relieved and just as hopeful as I did, if not even more. She must have worried often about her daughter's safety, but now Renesmee had more options if the situation were to arise. Edward nodded my way, answering my thoughts.

Emmet laughed loudly and punched the air with his fist. "Aw yeah! Little Nessie is gonna be a total ass-kicker!" Rosalie slapped his shoulder playfully and the rest of us erupted into more laughter.

"Yes, I do believe that Nessie could join in regularly on the training sessions" Jasper added. Emmet walked past me, ruffled my hair, and then flashed into the house with Rosalie. Carlisle checked Jasper's arm once more and then he and Esme followed inside shortly.

Bella walked over to me and surprised me with something…a hug.

She wrapped her arms around me tightly, yet gently. "Thank you so much for helping my little girl. In more ways than one, she really needed you" she whispered into my ear so softly, I wasn't sure I'd heard her correctly.

She unwrapped her arms from around my shoulders, smiled, and then flitted into the house with Edward in tow. Renesmee beamed at me happily and left after her parents.

I turned about to search for anyone else who might want to speak to me about the new revelation, but only Embry remained. My smile slowly faded and the corners of my mouth began to curve downwards.

He remained in the same spot, glaring with disapproval at the dying grass beneath our feet. He appeared to want to say something, but after another moment of silence, he refused to speak up. I put a hand on my hip and offered "It's okay. I know it was all an act. Sorry about the little argument." His head snapped upwards quickly. He tipped his head to the side and squinted in an 'are-you-kidding-me?' type of look. I just shrugged. I didn't know what else to say.

"It wasn't all an act. Sure, Alice told me to try to make you angry—but what I said, I actually meant. I was correct in guessing that the truth would work best in angering you" he laughed dryly and without humor.

Now it was my turn to look incredulous. My mouth fell open slightly and my eyes narrowed as I scoffed. "Whatever, Embry. I'm done here." I spun on my heels to head back to the house when his hand clasped around my wrist.

"You're just acting blindly and off of muddled, confused emotion. I'm not even sure you know what you want." It wasn't a question that he proposed. It was a statement.

My mouth refused to work. My mind couldn't form words to utter.

He was right.

I felt like a child being scolded for misbehaving.

"Why can't we just be friends?" his voice, along with his hard demeanor, cracked. I wanted to explain to him why we can't. We couldn't be friends because it was a distraction. I needed to focus on not being killed by ravenous vampires. He made me nervous and clumsy during a time where I needed to be alert and ready to fight for my life…but I just couldn't voice my argument. I had hurt Embry, I see that now. Regardless of the fact that I wasn't all that close to him, I had pushed him away and accepted the friendship of everyone else around and practically forced him to watch. Like a silent ghost, he had tried to reach out, only to be ignored and observe life go on without him.

My heart ached. I bit my lip as I studied his features. His light brown eyes bored into mine, filled with strong emotion—not with a weak, pathetic sadness…but with an honest, raw craving to understand and in turn be understood.

I slowly slid my wrist from his grasp, but stopped when my palm met his. I squeezed his hand gently. His skin was soft, but slightly calloused from years of work. Heat radiated from him and slid up my arm, inch by inch, to warm my entire body as I spoke.

"Okay." It was just one word, but it seemed to weigh so much on the situation.

He blinked, unsure.

"I'm sorry Embry. I was being rude and selfish. Quite frankly, I was a total bitch." He chuckled at the last part. "I had convinced myself that you were a distraction that I couldn't risk, when in reality I was just confused and scared of what everyone thought and wanted. I should have just ignored it and focused on what _I _wanted instead."

He pondered my words for a few moments. "And just what exactly _do _you want, May" he breathed out lightly, referring his earlier statement. _'I'm not even sure you know what you want' _he'd said. So what did I want?

My answer slipped out suddenly and without thought "To be friends." I was surprised by how easy and natural it felt to admit it. I took a deep breath. "Honestly, you were the first person to be kind to me. When the wolves found me in the forest, I was so afraid…but you urged me that I was going to be okay. Thank you" I murmured.

He smiled down at me and squeezed my hand back before releasing it from his grip. "You're welcome. I'd like for us to start over if that's alright with you?" I nodded my response.

"How about tomorrow? We could go fishing at a lake not too far from here? It's supposed to be the last week before it gets too cold and the fish stop biting. Maybe walk one of the trails too. Or if the outdoors isn't quite your thing, we could drive into the city and find something cooler to do…" he trailed off.

"No! I'd love to go fishing, actually" I blurted.

It was true. I had loved going fishing ever since I was little. Ted used to take me, always after sunset (he was a vampire after all), to a riverside place that was his favorite spot to get away. We'd strictly stick to night-fishing with a few lanterns and a simple tackle box. Granted I wasn't very good at it, it gave me time to sit outside under the stars while the water lapped lazily at the shore. It was peaceful and relaxing. I could only imagine what it was like during the day.

He looked at me, slightly skeptical. "You sure? You're not gonna be secretly miserable the whole time, wishing to be in Port Angeles or some busier place?"

I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest, "I'm pretty darn sure. I'd prefer the quiet outdoors over some crowded city streets any day."

He appeared rather amazed by my statement. "Well okay then. I have tomorrow off patrol, so I can swing by after seven in the morning. You don't have to worry about bringing any gear, I'll handle it" he assured me.

I looked appreciatively at him. "Thanks"

He shrugged and smiled back, "No problem. Just be ready to go on time. See you then, May." His gaze held mine, for just an instant, and abruptly it ended. He waved goodbye to me and I returned the gesture. Then he turned and jogged off into the forest.

I wandered into the house with a smirk on my face.

"Need any help there?" I asked Esme as she made spaghetti sauce (from scratch, no doubt) on the stove.

"Nope. I have everything handled here, honey" she chimed as she stirred the sauce. I just gave her an 'are you sure?' look and then I opened the pantry to grab the pasta boxes and began to rip the seal off the top.

She smiled gently and said "I was about to do that myself." But I just shrugged lightly. I liked helping Esme, and despite the fact that she was faster and more capable than I was, I enjoyed helping out around the house. I cleaned my room every day and helped with the meals as much as possible now.

She finally managed to shoo me from the kitchen with a girlish giggle, so I headed up to Renesmee's room.

As I reached the hallway, Edward stopped me. He had appeared out of Emmet and Rosalie's room and shut the door with a soft click behind him. He said nothing, but simply walked up to me and gave me another equally as shocking hug like Bella had done earlier. He reminded me of Uncle Ted at the moment (although Edward and I both looked the same age, while Ted was in his early thirty's when he physically froze forever). He pulled back slowly and murmured, "Renesmee has been longing to fight. She watches you train often and wishes that she could be stronger. With this new information, she can."

I smiled. I was actually being useful. Finally, I added just a tiny fleck of importance to the situation.

Edward's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "May, you are no burden. In fact, you've greatly improved our current lifestyle lately. You help Esme out around the house, even though she can easily handle everything on her own. Most importantly, you offer a friendship to my daughter that no one has been able to provide—not even Jacob. You two are the same in a supernatural world where she was a rarity."

I thought of this 'Narwhal' guy. Why didn't he come down here to befriend Renesmee? Why was she left to feel alone?

Edward chuckled, "A Narwhal is an arctic species of whale, May. _Nahuel _did try to visit her occasionally…but his home was South America and he was unhappy here. Eventually, his visits became more and more infrequent—and the last time he was here about a year ago, we had to turn him away" he had uttered the last part rather distastefully.

I looked puzzled so he elaborated, "His thoughts were less than friendly. He kept imagining inappropriate scenarios when he caught her scent. Images of them together romantically warred in his mind with some carnal need to feed from her" his forehead was creased with pain and his gaze was far away as he recalled the memory. "He never even got to see her. The second he was on the property, he just changed. And now he's calls us to say he's about to leave soon to come for another visit" he shook his head.

"He's coming here? For sure?" I asked worriedly.

He frowned, "Yeah. Carlisle and I had been talking with him to see what he could possibly know about your situation. He doesn't have much, but he insists on visiting to 'asses the problem'. I don't like it, but it's the only option we have currently."

I just hoped this guy stayed away from Nessie. I'd rip Nahuel's limbs off and then beat him thoroughly with his own arms if he tried to hurt her. Edward erupted into laughter at this thought.

"Me too, May. Thank you for caring about her."

I nodded and he soon headed downstairs, leaving me so I could go hang out with Renesmee.

**XXX**

Later that night I stared up at the ceiling, desperately trying to find sleep and failing. Suddenly I remembered something.

I reached my arm under the bed and my hand groped in the darkness. I felt rough fabric and found what I was looking for. My backpack.

I unzipped it and grabbed a ball of fluffy white material. The sheep stuffed animal Ted had given to me the day he died. I can't believe I had forgotten it! I pulled it out and let the backpack fall onto the floor with a soft _thud. _I tucked the soft, cottony sheep under my chin and against my upper chest.

I fell asleep easily afterwards.

**AN:Thanks for reading! - Arose**


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in the world of twilight.**

**AN-Hey guys! As promised, I have updated the summary and Felix from the Volturi has been added as 'Character 2' on my story's description. Although he wont show up for a few more chapters, he is pretty important! I also added a new and improved 'full summary' to my first chapter. **

**Lemme know what you think **

**Chapter 11**

I awoke at six thirty as the alarm clock beeped loudly from it's place next to my bed on the bookcase. Sighing as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I stretched and managed to crawl out of bed.

I decided that it would be pointless to take a shower now if I was just going to go outside and possibly get dirt and lake water on me. I didn't look like I needed a shower anyways. I threw the majority of my hair up into a ponytail while my long bangs hung along the sides of my face. Slipping out of my pajama shorts and undershirt, I changed into some jeans and a charcoal v-neck.

I dug around under my bed for my tennis shoes and then headed downstairs for breakfast. Esme must have heard me get up because she was already scooping large portions of eggs and sausage onto a plate. _Too much _actually.

"Um, even as delicious as your cooking is, I still doubt I could eat that much food, Esme" I said.

She laughed lightly, turned around, and grabbed a medium sized plate off of the other counter. She sat this smaller dish in front of me. "This is your plate" she stated. "And _this _is Embry's plate" she motioned to the giant amount of food.

I bit my lip shyly. She must have heard him and I talking yesterday.

"_Everyone _heard you guys" Edward teased as he flashed into the house. His hair was windblown from running. He kissed the top of Esme's classically wavy, copper hair and then dashed upstairs.

I looked back at Esme questionably. "He and Carlisle need to discuss a few things" was all she said.

I shrugged, thanked her for the food, and then dug in. She smiled in her motherly way and then disappeared somewhere down the hall.

Embry arrived just as I finished my breakfast. He knocked on the door lightly and I answered it with my (now clean) plate in one hand and a towel in the other. Despite Esme's protests, I liked to wash and dry my dishes after use so that she didn't need to.

"Hello, May" he spoke.

"Hey, Embry. Esme made you some breakfast" I said, slinging the rag over my shoulder.

His face lit up and we walked into the kitchen together. He sat down in front of the counter and instantly started working a dent into the large portion of food while I talked. "So, I just need to finish cleaning up a few things, brush my teeth, and say goodbye to everyone while you finish eating. Then we can be off on our way" I babbled as I put my dishes back where they belonged in the tall cupboards. He managed to mumble an 'Okay, sounds great' in between bites of food.

I decided to also put away the clean pots that had been left out to dry from last night. A few drops of water were still trapped on the underside of one pan, so I wiped it off with the rag from earlier. I bent down and placed the cookware in the bottom cabinets and then stood back up to put the towel away. I neatly set it on a rack by the sink and turned around to inspect the kitchen for any more work to do, finding none.

I did however, notice Embry was no longer eating. His fork was full of scrambled eggs but it was frozen a few inches in front of his face. His mouth hung open slightly and his gaze was trained on me.

"Um, what? Did I spill water on my shirt?" I asked frantically. Oh my word. What if I had spilled food on my clothes earlier and didn't notice?

"No! No, you're…fine" he assured me. I frowned. Why was he staring at me then? I pondered this and couldn't think of a reason.

So I simply asked him.

"Why were you staring at me then?" I inquired innocently.

His eyes widened and he looked down at his plate, pushing the food around. I thought he wasn't going to answer me at first, but finally he offered "You look nice…" His voice rose in pitch at the end, making it sound more like a question than an answer.

I blinked, caught rather off guard. "Um, thanks. You look nice too" and truthfully, he did. He wore black basketball-sport styled shorts that were knee length. Black tennis shoes were on his feet. A tight fitting navy blue tee shirt clung to his chest. He smiled at my response and then went back to eating his food.

I swept my bangs from my face and told Embry I was going to head upstairs and finish getting ready. He nodded and then I made my way to my room.

I brushed my teeth, grabbed a light jacket, and then headed back into the hallway.

_Edward? You here? Who is still in the house? I need to say goodbye to everyone before I leave._

I figured that asking him for a bit of help couldn't hurt. If he was around and in range of my thoughts, I should get a reply. If not, I could just knock on every single door of this giant house until I found someone.

I heard a chuckle behind me and turned to see Edward flash to my end of the hallway. I wondered where he came from.

"I was just in Carlisle's office, actually. I came up here when I heard you. Rosalie and Emmet left early this morning to go visit the Denali coven up in Alaska. Jasper and Alice are in Seattle for the day and are gone as well, so you don't need to say goodbye to _everyone _before you go. Also, Jasper has put off training until tomorrow…

"Now," he went on like he had an announcement "you and Nessie can officially have today off rather than just the morning that you had originally planned. Jasper says tomorrow though, will be a tough session. Enjoy today while you can" he all but ushered me down the stairs.

I thanked him and then said goodbye to Esme, Carlisle, Renesmee (who was about to meet Jacob down in La Push), and Bella as she came in from the cottage.

Embry was waiting by the door and he greeted me with a warm smile as I approached. He opened the front door for me and we walked down the long driveway of the property together. A few yards in the distance, I saw a large black truck. It looked old and classic with a polished paintjob and shined metal bumpers. "Wow, what a beauty. Dodge, right?"

He nodded, "1983 Dodge Ram. Jake helped me find it and I fixed it up a little. I glossed the paint, had the interior repaired, small things that helped to enhance it overall." He shrugged, but I could tell that he was secretly kind of proud of the metal beast.

"I like it. You didn't change it too much or ruin the integrity of the model" I spoke as I climbed in the passenger seat. I looked around inside the cab and appreciated the retouched interior.

I couldn't stand it when people took a nice car with a history and then ripped out the original seats and then painted some wacky design, like flames, down the side of it.

He looked genuinely touched at what I said. "Gee, thanks May" he beamed as he buckled his seatbelt.

I shrugged and smiled, "No problem."

**XXX**

We drove in silence.

It wasn't an awkward drive, though. Truthfully, I don't think either of us felt the need to just talk incessantly the whole ride to the lake. Embry focused on driving while I watched the view of the forest rushing past us.

We weren't going far from the Cullen house. I could still tell that we were on the borders of wild forest land and the woods I jogged through quite often. The trees looked lovely and I longed to stroll under their boughs, close my eyes, and listen to the dry fall leaves rustle in the wind.

"We're here" Embry suddenly announced.

I blinked in surprise. The car was now still and parked to the side of the narrow dirt road he must have turned onto a few minutes ago. Clearly, I was so lost in my thoughts that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.

He got out of the cab of the truck and I followed, opening my door and hopping out of the high seat. My feet hit the ground with a soft _thud _and I strolled over to Embry near the gate of the truck bed. He lowered the hatch and I saw two tackle boxes, a large cooler, a plastic grocery bag, a rag, and three fishing rods.

"I brought two fishing poles that might be suitable for you. I wasn't sure which size your arms would be more comfortable wielding. I wouldn't want you accidentally hooking one of us" he chuckled.

I pictured the catastrophe and grimaced, but then laughed it off. I held out my arms and Embry passed me the rag, plastic bag, and one of the handled boxes along with the smaller rod of the three. My items were easy to carry and lightweight. He took the cooler and stacked the other tackle box on top of it. He held these with one arm while the other took a hold of the remaining two rods.

I followed Embry as he led us down a winding path through the trees. We walked for a few minutes and my ears picked up on the sound of water lapping lazily against the earth. I focused harder and heard the chirping songs of many bird species and the buzzing of little flying insects.

After about a minute more, we broke through the trees into a vast open space. My breath hitched in my throat as I took in the spectacular view. A large, sparkling lake sat before us. It was many football field lengths in size. The water was dark, but far from filthy. Mosses and reeds grew around it in patches. On the far side of the lake opposite from us, tall hills peaked with thriving evergreen trees framed the body of water. Puffs of morning mist rolled slowly over the center of the lake and through the trees.

"Wow…" I murmured.

Embry turned to me with cautious, hopeful eyes. "You like it?" he asked.

"I—I _love _it" I stated in wonder, staring around us. I snapped from my trance and looked at him. He watched me curiously and the corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards into a soft smile. "I'm glad" he said.

He started to set the items down onto the crunchy grass a few feet from the water. I followed suit and laid out the stuff I carried.

"The plastic bag is for any trash, like lure packages, pieces of line that we have to trim off, old bait, things like that. The rag is to wipe our hands off if they get muddy. Um, let see here—oh" he opened the cooler and dragged it over to me. He began to point out the contents "Some sandwiches for us. Slices of cheap American cheese are one option for bait. A few water bottles there. And the net cage." He brought out a large paper bag from the cooler and took out of it a bunch of compressed wire netting. I looked at it quizzically and watched him fold it open into a three-by-four rectangle cage.

"When we catch a fish, it goes in here. We keep the cage in the lake with a rope attached. This way, the fish get to remain in the water until we're ready to leave. Then they go into the cooler, which should be empty by that time if we eat all the sandwiches. Any questions?" he offered.

"Nope" I said, making a popping noise on the 'p'.

"Okay then, you can start testing out the two rods and see which one you like more, if you want" he proposed. I nodded and went over to the poles. One of them was a bit shorter than the other and it was blue with soft cork padding. It was very lightweight and simple. The other was all black with matching grips. It was sturdy, strong, and it fit in my hands perfectly. I quickly decided that I liked it the most.

I glanced over my shoulder at Embry. He had taken both of the tackle boxes and sat them side by side. He undid the latches and opened them up. He was already attaching a reel to his fishing rod and adding a hook and bobber. Soon, he got up and went to the cooler to get some cheese to place on the hook.

"You can go ahead and line your rod and get things set up, May" he suggested. I scowled down at the pole, realizing that I had no clue how. Ted always did all the work for me when I was little. All I had to do was sit there and wait for a fish to bite. Perhaps it was time that I learned to figure it out for myself?

I sat down in front of the tackle boxes and peered into them. The more I studied the items, the more intimidated I got. There were countless numbers of colors and different sizes for each piece. I had no idea what to do.

"Um…Embry"

He turned over to me, "Yeah?"

"I have no idea how to do this" I mumbled.

He walked over towards me. "That's okay. Here, I'll teach you" he offered and crouched down next to me. He gently took the rod from my hands and placed it on his lap while he worked on the reel and prepared the line. He spoke clearly and in detail as he described what to do. I watched intently and tried to file the information in my head. He looped the line through the metal circles along the rod of the pole. Soon enough, the fishing pole had a hook and weight attached neatly to the end of the translucent cord. He took out a small pocket knife from the box and trimmed the excess fishing line from the knot that held the hook.

He let me inspect the work and I was just about to thank him for helping me, when he suddenly cut the line and undid all of the work he just completed. I looked at him in shock.

"I want to see you try it now. You won't learn completely from just watching" he stated and handed it to me.

I stared at him, eyes wide. I doubted that I wouldn't screw something up.

"Go on" he urged.

I glanced hesitantly down at the reel that held the strong cord. I tugged on it gently and pulled out the line. I put it through the loops until it reached the end of the rod. Next I grabbed a weight and hook from the tackle box, glancing at Embry's face for reassurance. He nodded silently in encouragement. Everything went smoothly until I had to tie up the ends. I couldn't figure out how to knot it properly.

"Here, let me help you" he said gently. His breath hit the side of my neck. He took the line in my hands and slowly tied it together. His nimble fingers touched mine ever so softly as he guided me through it.

I abruptly became aware of just how close we were to each other. He was crouched on one knee, bent over my body slightly. His hair fell forward over his brows messily. The morning sun bounced off of his skin, making it glow warmly. His light brown eyes were lit up…wait—his eyes?

He must have caught me studying him and his gaze was currently meeting mine. How long had we been looking at each other? It didn't matter. His eyes always captivated me. Flecks of gold and copper were speckled throughout them. They moved slightly, jumping side to side as he focused on each of my eyes as well.

"May…" he breathed. He sounded hesitant and his voice was a fraction of a pitch lower than usual. His brows were pinched together. Was he confused? No, the emotion his face expressed was different. I couldn't place it.

A squawking noise above us made me jump. I bumped into Embry and glanced up, some sort of heron or egret bird flew over our heads. It headed over the lake and into the trees. I sighed, placed a hand on my chest, and tried to calm down my racing heart. Embry chuckled and helped me up off of the ground.

**XXX**

We had been fishing for a few hours now. Embry and I were spaced out ten yards apart from each other so that our lines wouldn't get tangled in the water. Mild chit-chat went on while we sat on the bank of the shore. Embry had caught quite a few bluegill (which were rather small fish in general, no bigger than my hand, but he assured me that they were good to cook in a pan) and then he switched bait to catch larger fish, particularly bass.

I, on the other hand, caught two medium sized bass and then that was it. It was like all of the fish in the lake were suddenly avoiding me. I didn't mind too much, though. I got to enjoy being outdoors and look around the lake as I sat patiently. I almost couldn't believe that such a beautiful place was so close to the Cullen house the whole time and I just now found out about it.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Embry began to reel in his line and set his fishing pole down on the grass next to him. He got up and headed to the cooler. A moment later he walked over to me, holding two water bottles in one hand and a bunch of sandwiches in individual zip-lock bags in the other.

I stood up and reeled in my line as well. I placed the rod gently on the yellowing grass and then turned to face him.

"I figured that you were hungry" he shrugged. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled noisily. I laughed, "Yeah, thank you"

We both sat down with the sandwiches in a pile between us. "I don't know how many you can eat, but I made fifteen" he said rather nonchalantly. I looked at him incredulously

"_Fifteen?!_"

He gave me a look that suggested he could easily eat more than fifteen sandwiches and have room for more. "Yeah, so how many do you want? Five?"

"How about just two?" I giggled.

He passed two bags to me, along with one of the water bottles. I thanked him again and then opened one of the bags to take a bite of the sandwich. Roastbeef with melted parmesan cheese on white bread. Simple, yet fantastic. Bread was one of the few human foods I just adored. It was soft, spongy, and fluffy. White bread was my favorite and I was glad that my system got used to the stuff so quickly.

I finished the first bite and then spoke up, "These are perfect! I love sandwiches and I can't believe I went so long without them."

"Well, that's great because they're about the only thing I know how to make" he joked.

Slowly, a steady conversation picked up while we ate. "How did you find this place? It's absolutely beautiful" I asked him.

"I found it during patrol about three years ago. I decided that it would be a great fishing spot. Nobody comes here, so there's no competition. Over at the reservation there's a smaller lake and a river that runs right through it. Everyone goes there, so it's not as quiet and peaceful like it is here" he explained.

"My uncle Ted used to take me night fishing along a riverbed back home. It was a lot of fun, but he never got to teaching me how to set up the reel and line. That's why I had a bit of trouble earlier" I said lightly.

"What about you?" I wondered.

"Hm?"

"Did your dad teach you to fish? Your quite good at it…far better than I am at least" I smiled.

He thought for a moment. He appeared to be debating if he should give up a piece of information. Finally, he spoke up "Leah and Seth's father, Harry, along with Jake's dad, Billy, taught me how. Harry passed away about ten years ago. He had a heart attack. Billy is still here and doing well though," he paused "I don't know who my father is, actually."

"What do you mean?" I inquired seriously.

He studied my face for a few moments. He looked guarded almost, but that melted away into… _trust_? Maybe that was the emotion he gave off.

Finally, he relented. "Mom knows who he is, but she has never told anyone. Not me, or even him. The reservation thinks that my father could be either Billy Black, Quil Ateara the fourth, or Joshua Uley since Mom was from the Makah tribe and I ended up with the shifting gene somehow." He shrugged.

"So you're either related to Sam, Jacob, or Quil? One of them could be your half brother?" I asked.

He shrugged and looked down at the sandwich in his hand. It must have been his fifth by now. "Yeah, but I try not to dwell on it too much. It used to drive me crazy years ago and I was angry at my mom for such a long time. Now I just try not to care anymore…" he trailed off.

I nodded and tried to process the information he told me. Embry didn't need my pity or sympathy…no, he was a pretty tough guy. He didn't need to be coddled and treated any less than usual. I decided that the best thing I could do was to just _be there _for him_. _

I simply placed my hand over his and smiled encouragingly at him, then continued to eat my sandwich in silence. I looked out at the surface of the lake and tapped my toes lightly as my mind wandered off, my hand still resting on his. From the corner of my eye, I saw him lift his head and watch me curiously. I decided to play it cool and continue to look at the water. After a moment, a smile spread over his face and he eventually returned to eating his lunch in the serene calm.

**XXX**

Embry returned to his normal, happy self by the time we both finished eating—in fact, he seemed to be even more cheerful and optimistic. We kept fishing for a few more hours and I ended up catching more fish than he did. By mid afternoon, we decided to call it a day and I helped him to put the days catch in the cooler.

I waded out into the lake with him (despite his protests and assurances that he could handle it) and together we filled the empty cooler with water for the fish.

We were just about to go get the metal cage with the fish in it, when I ended up 'accidentally' splashing him. Soon, it erupted into a full blown water fight. Embry had splashed me back and then I retaliated. He was now trying to use the cooler as a shield, laughing as I used my hands to scoop up the water and flick it at him. He was backing up slowly and I thought I had him retreating but he stumbled over a rock and fell backwards. The water rushed past his shoulders and he was now drenched.

"Okay, that's it. It's on!" He reached for the lid of the cooler and used it to fling a huge wave of water in my direction. I squealed as the water soaked me from head to toe.

"That's cheating!"

"No, it's winning" he justified and then splashed me again. I giggled and tried to run out of the lake, hopping awkwardly through the water as it slowed me down.

I reached land and plopped down onto the rough grass. My shoes were soggy and I wished I would have remembered to take them off before getting in the water. I pushed the thought aside and decided that it was worth it. I huffed and tried to catch my breath back while I watched Embry.

He strolled out of the water with the cooler in his arms. His hair was plastered to his scalp, hanging in front of his eyes. Water dripped down his body and his clothes clung tightly to his form…I snapped out it and stopped gawking at him. I managed to change my focus onto packing up the gear while Embry put the fish in the cooler. We gathered the stuff and carried it in a fashion much similar to earlier.

"It's a good thing that we're both _supernatural beings_" I stated, adding dramatic emphasis on the phrase and shook my head, making my wet ponytail wobble and sway. "If we were human, we'd have to make two trips at least in order to carry all of our stuff" I explained as we walked back to the truck.

Embry laughed and flicked my ponytail with his hand playfully. I held back a grin at his casual touch.

"Hey, if you were to shift into a wolf right now…would your fur be miraculously dry somehow?" I blurted. I don't know where that question came from, but now that I think about it… it _was _a pretty legit thing to ask.

He burst into laughter at my lame question and managed to answer between chuckles, "No…my fur would be sort of damp, but at least it wouldn't be sopping with that lake water."

We reached the truck and loaded up the things into the back. When Embry shut the gate of the truck bed, I realized that I was shaking slightly. It suddenly dawned on me, I was _cold_. I hardly registered the feeling most of the time. It must be more prominent now because of my wet clothes. At least on the beach when I arrived in America, I had changed out of my seawater drenched clothing to properly dry off.

"Um, Embry?"

"Yeah?" He turned to me as we were about to get into the cab of the truck.

I waved my hands over myself, gesturing to my attire. "It it okay if I wring out the water from my clothes first. It's making me shiver." He frowned slightly, "Yeah that's fine."

I waited a few moments.

"Er—Embry?"

"Hm?"

"Can you turn around, please?" I twirled my finger, insinuating that he should face the other direction.

His eyes widened, grasping what I meant, and he quickly turned around. I spun to face the trees and kicked off my shoes, then peeled the socks from my feet. I shimmied out of my jeans and squeezed as much water from them as possible. I hung them over the ledge of the truck bed and then lifted my v-neck over my head. I wrung it out too and placed it on the truck. I was just beginning to shake my hair from the confines of my ponytail when a rustling came from the trees.

I froze, eyes sweeping back and forth through the surrounding area for signs of a threat.

"May, hurry up and get dressed…please" Embry urged. He didn't sound panicked, though; more like pained.

Confused and slightly frightened, I slung my shirt and pants on sloppily. Then the wind shifted and the scent hit me: _wolf. _Laughter filtered through the trees and then Collin and Brady walked casually out of the forest in nothing but knee length denim shorts.

"It's okay, man. Your girlfriend is done stripping. She's fully clothed now" Collin teased. My eyes widened in horror. Collin and Brady had seen me half naked! Embry rushed over from his side of the truck to meet us, growling and yet a dark blush was hidden under his russet skin.

"Well, she's almost covered up" Brady pointed at my chest.

Puzzled, I glanced down at my shirt and realized that in my hurry to put it on, I didn't bother to check to see if it was pulled up high enough. It was hanging pretty low and off to one side, revealing a good two inches at least of the left cup of my simple black bra. I yanked it up hurriedly and I could feel the heat of embarrassment creep over my cheeks. I avoided everyone's eyes and looked at the ground instead. I was sure that Embry had seen the view of my bra when his friends pointed it out.

Despite Collin and Brady being older than me, they were still younger than Embry by quite a few years and they liked to joke around a lot. I remembered that they had called me his girlfriend just a few seconds ago and I struggled to hide another blush.

"What the hell are you two doing out around here, peeping at May like some sick creeps?" Embry demanded, changing the subject.

"Okay, okay" Brady put two hands up defensively. "We just stopped by to give you some news. Right when we were about to shift back to get dressed, May here, just starts taking her clothes off! Anyways, we came to tell you that Sam wants to retire shifting so he can age with Emily…" I could tell that this was big news, but I had no idea what it meant. I still didn't know all that much about these wolves. Brady rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and I had a feeling that there was far more to what he had to say to Embry.

"Go on" Embry prodded. Collin stepped forward and was the one to finally break it to us:

"Aaannnd, we caught the scent of an unknown vampire in the area."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN- Hey guys! This chapter and the next (which I will try to post sometime soon) were originally supposed to be combined as one giant chapter, but it would have ended up being a HUGE chapter of at least 6,500 words…so I cleaved it into 2 different chapters! Enjoy :D**

**Guest-This is an Embry x OC Imprint story mainly. Don't worry about Felix, May wont act like Bella did with Jake. May actually knows how to make up her mind ;) **

**Cupn00dles-Thanks! The Volturi wont arrive for a few more chapters, but they're coming up! Also, May and Embry will start building up a bit of a relationship within the next few chapters as well. They have a few minor moments in this chapter :D**

**Chapter 12**

"_What?!" _I shouted.

Everyone turned and looked at me in surprise.

Embry and I had just been told that an unknown vampire has been hanging around forks. I was _so _not thrilled to hear this news. It had been more than two weeks since I arrived in Forks and not a single vampire seemed to follow me here. At least not that anyone knew of…but I was really starting to get used to living here in peace and quiet. I guess all good things have to come to an end sooner or later…

"Now hold on a second, can one of you please explain to me exactly how you came upon this?" Embry seemed to be a lot calmer than I did. He almost appeared to snap into a controlled state to better handle the situation.

"It might be best if I could _show _you" Collin replied. I raised an eyebrow. Embry seemed to understand what he meant, though. He turned to me saying "I need to phase so that Collin can show me what he saw through his thoughts. I also need to communicate with the rest of the pack. This might take a few minutes."

I nodded in understanding and he spoke to Brady next "Stay with May. I don't want her to be left vulnerable incase the vamp decides to look for her here." Brady gave him a curt nod, then Embry and Collin sprinted off into the trees to shift. I wondered what he looked like, changing into a giant grey wolf. Was it painful? Did he go through some crazy transformation?

"So…." Brady drawled out, pulling me from my thoughts "nice hips."

I spun around and gave him a menacing glare that shut him up.

I sighed, leaning against the truck with my arms folded over my chest. Brady stood awkwardly a few feet away. The silence hung stiff in the air, rather uncomfortably.

I anxiously awaited Embry's return. It had been almost ten minutes by now. I shook my head and decided to spark up conversation with Brady.

"Embry gives direction pretty well" I offered, remembering how controlled he was while my nerves were screaming at me in panic.

Brady laughed lightly "Yeah, well he and Seth stand by Jake's side and they tie for second in command of his pack."

"They are tied for second?" I asked, confused.

He nodded. "Leah used to be the main beta, but she backed off a bit. Seth is actually more level-headed than Embry. Seth provides calm, stability, and advice in handling tough situations. Embry helps Jake out with strategies, fights, and route techniques."

I raised an eyebrow "I don't know that much about how the pack works…or _packs. _Wait—how many are there?" I frowned, nobody has actually informed me how the whole 'wolf' thing works out. The stuff confused me and there were so many shifters that I didn't know who was in which pack.

Brady looked at me skeptically "He hasn't told you much, has he?" He was referring to Embry. I shook my head and he moved to lean against the truck next to me. He continued on "Well, there are currently two packs. Sam's pack consists of Paul, Jared, Collin, and I. Jacob leads the others like Quil, Embry, Leah, and Seth. We all used to be part of one giant pack under Sam's authority until Bella got pregnant. Sam wanted to…um…_destroy _her and Ness for being an unknown threat. Jacob didn't like that idea, so he split from the pack. Eventually a few others followed him, Nessie was born, Jake imprinted, and now everyone co-exists in peace."

I remembered that Sam told me on the day I met the Cullens, how Renesmee's birth drew everyone together, but what did being 'imprinted' mean?

"Imprinted?" I inquired, getting straight to the point.

Brady's eyes shifted nervously "Oh, um basically it's kind of a condition that resulted in Jake rising up as alpha and starting his own pack, to summarize. You'll find out more at the bonfire next week" he changed the subject, but I was slightly glad that he did. I had completely forgotten about the bonfire! The day I met the Cullens, Seth had suggested that I go. It had been almost a month already?

A month was all the time I had to stay at the Cullen house.

Worriedly, I bit my lip and pondered what was left on my mental checklist. Get more training: currently a work in progress. Get a job: nope. Get an apartment: also a no go. I would need to work on those last two before the end of the week.

Before I could freak out too much at how little time I had left, Embry and Collin came jogging out of the trees. Embry had shifted back and he was in his clothes from earlier, Collin still remained as a rusty brown colored wolf.

When Embry got closer to Brady and I, I could hear his heavy breathing. He appeared less controlled and more concerned. "May, we need to get back to the house and _now. _This is way worse than I thought, and things could get bad fast if we don't act soon enough."

My eyes widened in alarm. I moved to get in the truck, but Embry stopped me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "No, we need to run. It'll be faster than taking the truck. I can call someone from the reservation to come down here, get the supplies, and drop them off later. Right now, you're my main priority" he breathed.

My stomach tightened at his remark. I gave him a thankful smile and nodded in understanding. He backed up a few paces from me and suddenly exploded into an enormous silver-grey wolf. A small gasp came from my parted lips as I took in the sight. One moment Embry was in front of me, and in the next, he was a wolf. Brady followed his lead and erupted into a large, but still smaller than Embry, grey-brown wolf. The change was a blur.

Scraps of dark fabric began to rain down around us. The strips of cloth swirled and fluttered in the breeze like butterflies on a warm spring day.

A quick bark caught my attention and I spun back to the three SUV sized wolves in front of me. I nodded reassuringly and Collin was the first to zip off into the forest. Embry's wolf strode over to me and nudged my lower back with his nose, prodding me to follow.

I flashed at my vampire speed after Collin. Embry ran along the side to my right, while Brady covered the back of our small group.

Our trip was silent and the air was thick with a feeling of urgency.

The soft beating of the wolves' paws against the earth had begun to fall into a steady rhythm. Their paws pressed firmly into the dark ground, then dug in. They were ripping at the soil with their claws and then pressing off to power their strides.

In a moment, we were approaching the left side of the clearing that held the Cullen house. Together, we burst through the trees and into the open air.

"May!" Bella called out earnestly from the back porch. Brady and Collin split off from our group, each heading a different direction to circle around the property and never slowing from their pace.

Embry and I continued on at our blinding speed, making our way to the back door that Bella currently held open. As we moved closer, I realized that Embry was still in wolf form and showed no sign of slowing down to shift back. He had every intention of entering the house in his current state. Bella noticed this as well and she held the door open as wide as it would go. She pressed herself to the side of the house at the last second as Embry and I slid fluidly through the doorway.

We sprung into the living room. I pounced into a seat on the large couch while Embry's hulking, gray form paced in front of the windows. The Cullens were all present (Well, except for Renesmee. She was probably still on the reservation with Jacob), the majority stood frozen along the stairs. Bella walked in from the back porch and Edward flashed to her side.

A loud, piecing howl ripped through the tense air from outside. My eyes flitted worriedly over to Embry, who was prowling around the room anxiously.

"What is it Edward?" Carlisle inquired from another side of the room. Edward walked over to Embry and stopped just an arms length from his wolfed snout. They locked gazes, their eye levels parallel with each other. Edward spoke after a slight pause, his voice sounded far away as if he was speaking from a trance or dream. "Collin has sounded the alarm. All of the shifters from the reservation have phased and one-by-one are realizing the threat."

Another, longer pause followed, then Alice gasped softly. "He is coming. The rogue vampire—he'll be here within the hour. He wants to speak with us" she announced. A low, rumbling growl came from Embry. He and Edward went back to their silent communication.

Edward's slightly monotone voice spoke up again, "The wolves are on the way. Every member from both packs is heading here. They saw through Embry's mind what Alice just said. They want to meet with us and try to take down the rogue in a controlled manner so that we can get any information on May's situation from him." He paused and his forehead creased in worry "Jacob is staying with Renesmee at Billy's."

He sighed, broke away from Embry, and walked into the middle of the room. "The threat is too great, so the shifters will be staying in wolf form for the entire discussion. I guess I'll just have to translate" he shrugged.

The family began to talk hurriedly at a speed my ears had trouble catching. Conversations erupted all around me. I glanced around nervously, eyes landing on the familiar faces in the room. I chewed on my lip, eyebrows drawn together.

Embry must have sensed my anxiety because the smoky gray wolf abruptly left his post by the living room windows and made his way over to me. His towering height shrunk down as he lazily cast himself upon the ground at my feet. He hesitantly rested his furry head on my lap, eyes looking up at me for my approval telling him it was okay to do so. Those round, wide orbs were the same light brown hue as his human eyes. I could make out the familiar specks of gold and the freckling patterns on his irises.

I smiled softly and then slowly raised my hand to stroke the darker fur along his face. My fingertips grazed the soft hairs with the lightest of touches. He shut his eyes at the contact, and then opened them as I lifted my hand from his fur. After a few times of swiping my fingers tentatively across the tips of his coat, I gradually added more pressure. Now my fingers traced the patters that swirled around his eyes like a mask, framing the structure of his face. His eyes remained closed and we sat there, comforting each other.

Another howl came from outside, silencing everyone in the house.

Embry's head snapped up while the Cullen's looked to Edward for guidance. "All of the wolves are here. It's time" he stated.

The Cullens began flashing out the front door to meet the wolves. I stood up from the couch and Embry rose his enormous form off of the floor. Edward flashed back into the house and came over to me. "No, May. I'm sorry, but you need to stay in the house with Embry." He took in my wounded expression and then sighed "That vampire could appear anytime soon and if you're in the house at the moment of his arrival, it'll buy us a few crucial seconds to restrain him before he can reach you. Right now, we just need to discuss as much as we can with the packs. You understand?"

He searched my face as he awaited my response. After a moment, I nodded and then sent him thoughts of understanding. He breathed in relief and mussed up my hair and chuckled. "I'll tell you everything afterwards, okay?"

"Okay, I got it. Now go mediate the meeting" I urged him as I giggled and attempted to smooth out my long hair, drawing it back up into a ponytail. He disappeared out the front door, shutting it firmly behind him.

I turned away from the door with a sigh of longing. Embry remained standing, filling up the space with his oversized body. Now that I studied him, his shoulder blades were at my eye-level and the tallest part of him, being the tips of his ears, reached a good six inches above my head. From nose to tail, he could probably be the size of an average couch. The wolves were monstrous in size.

He cocked his head to one side, most likely questioning why I was gazing at him.

"You guys are bigger than a car" I offered. His mouth opened up in a wolfy grin, tongue lolling out the side. He sat down on his haunches and then sank forward so that he was laying on his stomach. I followed suit and sat cross legged in front of him.

"Sorry to keep you from being a part of the meeting" I mumbled, glancing down at the pale carpet. I loud, huffing snort made me glance back up, alarmed. Embry rolled his large eyes and then brought one of his paws up to rub one of his ears. I stared at him, clueless for a few seconds until I got it.

"Ohhh, you can still communicate with them in your thoughts, huh?"

He nodded in reply.

"Well then, I feel slightly better now" I smiled softly, absent mindedly stroking the fur that fanned out around his cheeks and neck. The fur was thick, but not rough. Warm and fluffy, too.

"You have a mane!" I announced, eyes wide with amusement and humor. He really did, quite actually. His coat grew shaggier and it was a darker shade of gray around the front of his neck and chest. It puffed outwards and it made him look proud and strong.

He coughed out a gravelly, throaty sound that I assumed was a laugh. I smiled and ran my fingers through his 'mane'. A soft rumbling noise vibrated through his whole body. It sounded similar to a growl, but it wasn't off-putting. Was he…_purring_?

"I've never really had any friends. Not like you and Renesmee anyways. Ted home schooled me and always held me back from making friends out on the street" I stated with a shrug. Embry bumped my knee with his nose, prompting me to go on with my story.

The long day had me exhausted. I yawned and laid out on the carpet in front of him while he resumed to make the comforting, droning noise. "He wanted to keep me safe. He said that public schooling would give me away, since I grew so fast. He did, however, promise to let me go to college. Did you go to college?" I asked, reaching forward to stroke his shoulders. He shook his gigantic, furry head in a 'no'.

I scooted a little closer to him and murmured sleepily "That's okay. You have more than enough time to go at some point if you ever want to. That's what I tell myself, anyways." I smirked and then allowed my eyes to shut.

The deep, reverberating noise coming from Embry's chest had lulled me to sleep. Before I lost consciousness, I was vaguely aware of his nose nudging under my arms and shifting my upper body onto the softest blanket I've every felt.

**XXX**

_Growling._

All I heard was this low, persistent rumbling in my ear.

_Tugging._

I opened my eyes, expecting to wake up in my white, fluffy bed at the Cullen house. Instead, all I saw was a mass of gray hues blocking by vision. I blinked and my senses began to sharpen as my awareness intensified.

Whimpering noises came from around me. I sat up off of the warm 'blanket' I thought I was resting on.

Embry.

I was sleeping on top of Embry?! I didn't have much time to dwell on the thought though, because his wolf was currently nipping at my shirt and pulling me up onto my feet. Urgent, whining sounds were coming from him as he bumped me towards the stairs.

"What's going on?" I asked as I stumbled up the stairs, eyes wide and brows pinched together in a mixture of confusion and fear. Embry's nose broke contact with my back and I was about to turn around in question, but suddenly his warm hands were on my shoulders.

Wait_…hands?_

"I can't make it up the stairs as a wolf…I had to shift back. _Don't look!_" he pleaded as he pressed me to go faster up the tall staircase.

I tried not to think about the fact that he was naked, but his hands on my arms made that hard to forget. I flew up the remaining steps at my enhanced vampire speed, Embry not far behind. We made it to my bedroom and I covered my eyes with my hands. "Why are we in my room?" I asked the room, hoping that Embry hadn't shifted back so he would be able to answer me.

He replied "It's the farthest from the ground and any attacks. Your windows will be under the cover of the afternoon sun, so the glare should block anyone from seeing inside." The sun? I peeked through a crack in my fingers and saw his words to be true. The clouds had parted and the sun's bright rays pierced through the glass into my room.

"Again, what's happening?" I asked fretfully, returning to shielding my eyes from Embry.

"He's here…the vampire. He just entered Edward's hearing range and then he passed it on to the pack. They warned me through their thoughts when we were downstairs" he abruptly fell silent, listening to the whines of the wolves outside.

"The pack can smell him. They can _sense _his arrival, which means that the rogue is incredibly close now. Their instincts are screaming at them to just kill him already—" he broke off.

…Silence.

"_I _can sense him" he stated.

We had a visitor in the yard.

**AN- please review, follow, favorite! It motivates me to write more, which allows me to post new chapters sooner, and then you guys get to read them!**

**My goal is 25 Reviews, 25 Followers, and 15 Favorites! **

**(***Don't worry, this is just a personal goal. I refuse to hold my story hostage for reviews and such***)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: This world belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own anything, even though I wish I did :)**

**AN- Hello everyone! *Throws cookies and confetti* I am happy to announce that this chapter and the next hold A LOT of answers to big questions that May has been wondering. This chapter is very exciting and it was a blast to write!**

**So, at the end of this chapter, please leave me a REVIEW with your theories and thoughts. Let me know what you think! Inform me of any questions you may have. Let me know if you're confused by something!**

**Thanks to all of you that left reviews, followed, and favorited "Searching". It means the world to me! *hugs***

**Chapter 13**

The air in my bedroom seemed to shift and move as if a breeze had suddenly swirled through an open window.

Soft fur brushed against my side, alerting me to Embry's change in form yet again. I hesitantly removed my hands from over my eyes and was relieved to see his wolf filling up the space. He strode over to the wall of windows and I followed. I glanced down to see the Cullens, sparkling magnificently under the sun's rays, and eight of the wolves were together gathered below us on the lawn of the property.

Everyone had their heads snapped to attention at the tree line. Alice had a look of stern anticipation on her doll-like face, Jasper was in a sturdy defensive stance, Edward appeared to be in deep concentration, Rosalie's eyes were narrowed menacingly, and Emmet cracked his knuckles as he prepared to fight.

Sam's giant black wolf lead both packs while Jacob held things down in La Push. Right now, the wolves were coiled springs, ready to act in a millisecond. Ears flat against their skulls, lips drawn back in a snarl. The fur along their backs was raised, their haunches poised to propel bodies forward for attack.

Lastly, I looked to my left at Embry. His giant wolf head was bowed downwards, at the same level with mine. He glanced to the same exact spot in the trees as everybody else. Eyes focused, intent on whatever plan coursed through his mind. He only broke his stance to give me one sidelong look, reassuring me that we would be okay, and then he turned back to the window.

At this moment, my breathing stopped. The air seemed to grow stagnant—still and unmoving. An electrical static buzzed in my ears as one sole figure stepped out of the trees.

He was tall with a muscular build, but smaller than Emmet. Hair the color of a wheat field fell to his cheekbones in the front, and then was cropped shorter towards the back of his head. He wore a plain white tee-shirt and dark pants. As he left the shade of the forest, the sun glinted off of his skin like a rich jewel.

Strolling towards the group below me at a slow, leisurely human pace…he spoke. "Salut, mes amis!" he called out. The vampire was _French_? I knew a majority of the language thanks to Ted. He taught me a good portion of Italian, French, Spanish, and English—of course as I grew up.

When the stranger was approximately twenty yards from the group, the wolves snarled a warning at him. He raised his hands up in mock surrender and muttered "Les loups stupides…"

Carlisle was the next to speak. "You can stop right there, that is fine. I'm sorry, but we have not met before. I am Carlisle, the leader of this coven." He offered a polite smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Carlisle. I am Arnaud Renard" he answered with a heavy accent. _'Arnaud Renard'? _In English, his name could be translated as…_Arnold Fox? _Fox…the Fox coven was on the West edge of Europe. Ted had done business with them a few years ago. He had to leave me under the care of a Volturi guard member for three whole days when I was physically twelve years old.

"What brings you to Forks? The area is claimed, you cannot hunt here" Carlisle inquired.

"Ah, but I am not after your measly humans" he spoke, silencing the 'H' in 'humans'. He glanced at Edward with a haughty ignorance. Was he…gloating?

Arnaud chuckled "You'd better give up, mind reader. My gift informs me of other gifts around and allows me to manipulate them."

Edward took a step forward and replied with an intimidating smooth voice "So you turned off my ability, then?"

"Precisely. Alas, it only shuts off when you try to read _my _thoughts, but you can still listen to the minds of your little coven" he stated, feigning dismay. "You cannot kill me, because you want information, oui? If I were to be dispatched by one of your silly wolves, without giving away all of my secrets…that would ruin your plans, would it not?"

My eyes flitted nervously over the people below. The Cullens looked to each other for assistance. Edward seemed to silently be speaking with the other family members and the wolves. As he listened to their different thoughts and opinions, he would reply with nods of approval or a simple shake of his head in dismissal. Nobody uttered a single word aloud. It was completely nerve wracking. Finally, when the silence was bordering on intolerable, Carlisle spoke up. "We will not kill you—yet. But if you become hostile we will not hesitate to act. Is that understood?"

"Oui" Arnaud replied.

Carlisle took an unneeded breath and asked "What brings you to our home, then?"

Arnaud scoffed and gave him a knowing look. "La petite sirène" he simply answered with a cocky grin.

More silence fell upon the group. Apparently, this was not good news. Confused, I tried to think about what he said. I recalled all of the French that Ted had taught me. '_Sirène' _meant 'mermaid'. _'La petite sirène' _was…'the little mermaid'. What relevance do mermaids hold in this conversation?! I wracked my brain for answers until it finally clicked.

Oh.

_Siren_.

Sometimes, people refer to mermaids as sirens, and vice versa. In certain mythologies, sirens used to lure sailors towards rocks with their voices. This rogue was calling me a siren. I now remember that one of the vampires that had attacked me in the parking lot weeks ago had called me 'Little Siren'. The Cullens looked to be rather puzzled. I was sure that most of them knew enough foreign languages to know what Arnaud meant, but they failed to see the connection to anything relevant. Yet, at the discovery in my thoughts, Edward growled "What is she to you?"

I could see the light bulbs flicker on behind their eyes as the group realized what Edward's comment referred to. The sounds of low snarls and rumbles of disagreement began to reach my ears from outside. Embry whined next to me.

"She is nothing more than a special…_dessert _for me. It is said that her blood enchants one like a melodious siren song and one drop is worth more than a ton of gold. A true delicacy" he elaborated. Embry began to produce a growl that I could feel vibrating through the floorboards. Carlisle didn't seem to be buying Arnaud's statement. "Her blood brings no allure to us. You lie" he warned.

Arnaud smirked, "Then bring her to me as proof. See for yourselves my reaction once I catch a whiff of her scent. I will even tell you what my masters have told me about her. I know she is here, you cannot hide her from me." As if that statement didn't make my skin crawl enough, things really got creepy next. Tilting his head eerily slowly up to the window, like some freaky clown doll in a horror movie, his blood-red eyes locked onto mine. A wide, toothy grin crept onto his face. "Bonjour" he offered up to me.

A small squeak snuck its way from my lips.

I fell backwards from my sitting position and landed on the floor with a _thud_. My long ponytail swayed as I immediately started to shrink away from the window, out of range from his prying eyes. I crawled behind Embry, his enormous wolf body shielded me from sight. Lacing my fingers through his fur, I clung to him.

"I thought you said he couldn't see me?" I hissed as quietly as I could into a pointed ear. He nodded his head upwards, motioning at the sky. The sun was now overcast by the clouds, diminishing the bright glare that bounced off of my windows. I was greatly counting on that glare to hide Embry and I. It seems, I failed to notice that the vampires outside had stopped shimmering moments ago.

Hiding behind Embry, I tried to jump back into snooping on the conversation, through listening alone and abandoning sight. As much as I wanted to see what was happening down there, I didn't want that creep to see me in return.

"We can't make that deal with you. We will not put her in harms way, just for a piece of information!" I heard Alice's high voice counter his suggestion.

"Not even for an answer as detailed and valued as the one I am currently thinking of? All you'd have to do is bring her down to me" he drawled out. "I guess you'll never know then" Arnaud teased.

"We can always torture you. Rip your limbs off. Tear you apart, piece by piece" Emmet suggested as he huffed and shuffled his feet. He was probably rolling his shoulders right now, readying for an all out brawl. The wolves growled in agreement and I could picture the pack approaching the arrogant visitor. I sighed into Embry's silvery fur. We seemed to be getting nowhere, stuck at an impasse. I wished that I could just throw my sock down there instead of potentially getting eaten. I mentally giggled at the thought.

"May, that's a wonderful idea!" Edward called up to me. I paused my current thoughts and focused instead on what Edward just said. I peeked around Embry's shoulder to give Edward a dubious expression. He wants me to throw my socks out the window?

"Ah, so the lovely siren's name is May?" Arnaud teased. I caught Bella send him a surprisingly threatening glare and he fell silent.

"Well, anything with a concentrated amount of your scent on it will be sufficient" he answered. I stood up from my hiding spot behind Embry and looked around my room. I could toss down my pillowcase? Or my shirt? I fiddled with the ends of my ponytail as I contemplated the option. Finally, I got it!

I cautiously walked up to the glass and peered down at Edward. I sent him thoughts of my idea and he nodded in approval. I gave him a tight smile and searched for a way to open the windows. Each window pane was about a square yard in size. Eventually, I found a latch that allowed me to crack one of them open. Glancing nervously down at the group for reassurance, I pulled on my hair-tie and undid the ponytail. My long, dark tresses fell around my back at the exact same time my eyes locked onto Arnaud's.

Inside, I was screaming. Everything about him made me want to shrink and crawl up under a rock. In spite of that fact, I put on a brave face and dropped the elastic band out the window. Rosalie held out her hand and it landed in her waiting palm. She appraised it with her eyes and sniffed it. Then she gave me a curt nod, telling me that my scent was strong on the item. It probably helped that a few strands of my hair had been yanked out and tangled around the band when I removed it.

Rosalie walked slowly up to the stranger and handed it to him hesitantly. He smirked at her as he took it from her grasp and she took a few steps back, distaste written clearly over her flawless features.

He brought the small, black circle up to his face and breathed deeply through his nose. He murmured "Absolutely decadent."

I shifted uncomfortably at the comment. "Already, her scent has bewitched me like a spell" he paused and inhaled another breath from the air, closing his eyes to savor the experience.

Suddenly a gasp came from Edward and everything changed in an instant. Before I could blink in surprise, Edward already had Arnaud pinned to the ground by his neck. Emmet and Jasper weren't far behind, following Edward's lead, and the two held the rogue's arms securely. A circle of wolves surrounded them, preventing any slim chance of escape.

"He dropped his guard! He plans to take her the moment he gets an open opportunity. I heard it! Her scent is driving him absolutely mad!" Edward revealed to us all. I froze and my blood ran cold in my veins.

"What?! But why is her blood having these effects on other vampires, and yet we feel nothing? Could you find out _anything_?" Bella cried while Edward held the struggling vampire down.

"Not yet, he shut me out again…but not before he thought of you, dear" he answered, his tone velvety and soft when speaking to his mate.

"Me?" Bella gasped skeptically.

"His gift, it doesn't allow him to block out my ability on his own. His gift lets him manipulate others, that part is true. He used your shield without your knowledge in order to protect himself" he snarled down at Arnaud "And he's back to using it now."

"Bella, you're going to have to back off to the cottage for now, I'm afraid" Carlisle spoke in his signature calm, soothing voice. "Perhaps you, Embry, and May could all go while we thoroughly interrogate Arnaud?"

She nodded grimly and reluctantly flashed into the house to meet us. I wrinkled my brows, not fully agreeing with Carlisle's comment. I wanted to stay! This involved me and I wanted to be present for what was to come. I needed closure or some answers at least.

"May, go! _Now_" Edward roared. I turned towards my bedroom door to see Bella waiting urgently with a hand outstretched for me. I hesitantly placed my hand in hers and she flashed down the stairs. My half-vampire speed barely prevented me from tripping and falling on my face. "Wait, where's Embry?" I asked, my voice rose slightly higher in pitch with worry. I tried to turn back to find his silver wolf, but then warm hands on my shoulders appeared out of the blue.

"I'm right here. I would never leave you" he reassured me, his breath brushed my neck. His soothing voice behind me helped to calm my anxiety. I wanted to turn and give him a thankful smile, but I remembered that if he could currently talk, he was human…and therefore without clothes.

We made it out of the house and Embry's touch disappeared from my skin. His wolf sped up to run alongside me. As the three of us increased our distance from the chaos, I could hear the familiar sounds of metallic screeching as vampire skin gave way. Wolves whined and barked in anticipation. Emmet's booming voice shouted out "What else? Who sent you?"

I grimaced and Bella squeezed my hand gently for comfort. My hand never left hers the entire run to the cabin.

**XXX**

I currently sat on a coffee colored couch at the cabin, well—the _main _cabin, that is.

Apparently there were three total cabins spread throughout the woods around the Cullen house. Bella had described to me half an hour ago that the main, larger cabin was the one that she, Edward, and Renesmee lived in. The other two were for the wolves to get supplies from and any needed rest between patrols. I had no idea where these other two were apparently located, but she assured me that they weren't far.

Embry had shifted back and was now wearing some spare clothes that Bella gave him from Edward's closet. He sat on the other end of the couch, with Bella in between us. He was quiet and things felt slightly awkward with us. When he was a wolf, it was easy for me to forget that he was, well, _Embry. _We were working on just being friends and then I had to go get all touchy-feely with his fur. I had practically climbed all over him back at the house. And let's not forget that I fell asleep on him…

Bella snapped me out of my embarrassing thoughts. She looked at me earnestly, eyes shinning like liquid gold. "I know it's hard to just leave like that. I wish we could have stayed too, May. But believe me when I say that things will go a lot smoother without us."

I sighed "Yeah, now we just have to sit here and worry ourselves to death until they come get us, hopefully bearing good news."

Embry snorted, amused by my remark. Bella chuckled lightly and replied "I used to feel like you are now, _plenty _of times back when I was human. Everyone else always seemed to be off fighting for the greater good, while I stayed behind and hoped for the best. But now," she sat up a little straighter and gave me a grin "I have taken out quite a few ferocious vampires myself."

"You have?" I asked in wonder.

"Mm-hmm. In fact, a few years back, Nahuel needed our help to protect one of his younger sister's from a particularly violent stalker. The poor girl was just a few months older than Renesmee! Nahuel didn't even know that she and her twin sister existed until after the Volturi found them while hunting down their father, Joham." She shook her head sadly and then went on "Anyways, some creep of a vampire was so obsessed with her beauty, he claimed that they were destined to be mates. She hardly knew him at all and when a few of us went down to South America to offer support, Edward heard his thoughts. He found out that the vampire was hostile, possessive, and no good could come from him" she explained.

Embry listened silently, eyes focused on Bella as he pondered her words. "So then what happened?" I asked her.

"We had to take him down. The guy was going to hurt Nahuel's little sister. Just her scent was enough to drive him insane. That vampire was one of the first I dealt with in such a manner. Edward says I can swing a pretty good punch… I cracked the guy's jaw" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

I giggled, but then became more serious in order to ask her my next question. "Why haven't the twin sisters ever traveled up here to visit Renesmee? I mean, you said that they're only a few months older than her. That must mean they're about a year older than me. We could all be friends right now. Why aren't they here?"

Bella frowned "They were left pretty terrified after the Volturi found them. Aro had their father killed right in front of their eyes. They were physically no older than seven at the time. Nahuel was given custody of one twin, the one I had met, by Aro. Her name was Josie."

Sighing, Bella moved on to tell me more. "The Volturi decided to keep the other twin, I believe Nahuel told me her name was Arianna, close to Volterra in Italy. They wanted to monitor her as she grew and Nahuel just couldn't leave his home in South America to go care for her. Nahuel was furious, he wanted to raise them both together. Eventually, one of his older sisters, Serena, came forward and decided to raise Arianna under certain rules that Aro gave her—one of them was to stay within city limits of Volterra. Now, the twins live so far away from each other and they're scared of anyone outside of family. They refuse to travel _anywhere_, actually."

My eyebrows pulled together with worry as I pondered what Bella told me. There were two other girls just like me this whole time? One of them was placed under the careful watch of Aro, hidden somewhere in Italy. I wondered just how close I lived to her. Shock went through me as I realized that I too, was monitored by the Volturi. Ted used to work for them, and he raised me!

Embry leaned around Bella's back to give me a knowing look. He probably had the same thoughts as I did. What was Aro up to?

Just then, the first wave of people came flying through the door. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme flitted into the living room of the cabin. We greeted them with hopeful smiles and raised eyebrows, questioning the situation.

"So, we have good news and not so great news. What would you like to hear first?" Alice proposed as she sat cross-legged on the rug in front of us.

Bella looked to me, allowing me to choose. "Good news, please" I replied, holding back a shudder as I buried my troubling thoughts.

Alice took in a deep breath and spoke "Well, Arnaud will definitely not be bothering you anytime soon…he's dead." I looked at her incredulously.

"The guys took him out to a clearing in the woods to light him ablaze. They're going to let the smoke billow up out of an open space in order to warn the other rogues. Kind of like lighting off a flare. It was Emmet's idea" Rosalie chimed in.

"Wait, what?! _Other _rogue vampires?" I asked, eyes practically popping out of my head.

"Oh, yeah. About that…this is the not so good news. Edward got a few chunks of valuable information out of our little visitor. First, Arnaud was a scout. He was sent by his coven to locate you. Apparently, he was supposed to call back to them every day and fill them in on his progress. If his calls ever stopped, they would know that we killed him. Also, he was promised that if he could get to you, he could have you. This deal motivated him to put effort into his coven's plans" Rosalie explained.

Alice jumped back in the conversation "Second, Arnaud's coven will soon send two more scouts in the next few weeks, if not days. If they are taken out by us as well, then they will send three more in their place. This will go on until they eventually get to you. Their main mission is to drain you dry of your blood. Also, as if this wasn't bad enough—" I frowned at her remark and she sent me an apologetic look and then continued "this 'Renard' or 'Fox' coven, might not be the only one to come searching for you. Edward was able to pick up on how hurried and competitive Arnaud's thoughts were. It seems that his coven is under a lot of pressure to get to you first. We don't know the exact reason why different covens are fighting to reach you before others can. Jasper suggested that it could be for simple bragging rights, but it's not much of a lead."

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly as I struggled for words. Everyone wants to kill me! Eventually I just looked down at my shoes, horrified by the revelation. Was this ever going to end? Was I just fooling myself, thinking I could have a quiet and happy life here in Forks?

"But, _why _do they want my blood_? _You guys can't smell any difference" I managed to choke out.

Esme looked sorrowful and Alice chewed her lip, debating what to tell me. Rosalie broke the tension and relented with a sigh "May, the third thing Edward managed to get from that pathetic creep was pretty disturbing…but I think you need to know what it was." She paused and judged my expression to make sure I was okay for her to continue.

She went on "Apparently, Arnaud's coven seems to believe these _rumors. _The rumors that the Fox coven heard lead them to believe that the first year after a female vampire-human hybrid's eighth birthday, her blood becomes extremely potent with newly matured hormones and pheromones. For that certain window of time, she becomes any _unmated male _vampire's singer" Rosalie took in my confused face and elaborated "Well, it would make sense! None of us gals caught a difference in your scent…a—and none of the guys could either, because they had all found their mates! Also, Edward said that Arnaud had developed obsessive feelings over you, while simultaneously craving your blood like a drug addict after a dose of crack" she joked and gave a smirk in a small attempt to lighten the mood.

The couch was vibrating, I glanced at Embry and saw that he was shaking in anger. He bolted from the room, mumbling out a hurried "Excuse me."

I was frozen in shock. It felt like hours had passed while I took in the information, although it was only mere seconds. Questions buzzed through my mind, flying a mile a minute, and my skull felt like it contained a hive of angry bees.

I fought to pick out a single question from the dozens "What about Renesmee? She doesn't have this problem!" I cried.

Bella turned to me, speaking slowly and through a daze as she realized points in Rosalie's comment could actually be true. "Renesmee just turned nine a few weeks ago. Her scent would be calmed down by now. Before that, when she was still eight and going through that first, mature year, the only unmated male to come around here was—oh my gosh…Nahuel! That was the reason why he went crazy after catching her scent!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.

At that moment, Alice inhaled a sharp breath and her eyes appeared unfocused. I had seen that look enough times now to know that she was having a vision. She gasped began clutching her head with a grimace. _That, _however,was not a normal part of the routine she went through when catching a glimpse of the future.

Esme crouched down and tried, to no avail, to comfort Alice as she cried out in pain. She was gripping the rug she currently sat on with a hold that was so strong, she made the fibers snap.

Finally, after a few seconds, she relaxed. Her breathing was accelerated and shallow. She kept her eyes closed and she tried to speak. "Nahuel is here, I saw him meet the guys out in the clearing."

Bella looked shocked and slightly puzzled, "A vision of Nahuel was enough to put you flat on your back?"

Alice shook her head weakly. "N-no. That was the first vision I had."

I swallowed nervously and hesitantly peeped out the question we all were wondering "What was the second vision, then?"

Alice was silent as she blinked back tears that would never fall. She licked her lips and managed to utter a single word.

"Volturi"

**Translations:**

**-Salut, mes amis = Hello, my friends**

**-Les loups stupides… = Stupid wolves…**

**AN- Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Did it answer some of your questions? Do you have any theories? Do you have new questions?**

**REVIEW!**

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	14. Chapter 14

***Disclaimer***

**AN- Hey guys! *does a little jig* I cannot express how happy I am with the feedback I got on the last chapter! I know my story isn't super popular, but just your alerts and reviews mean the world to me. A HUGE thank you to you all!**

**Sorry for the month of absence. I had a few directions this chapter could go and it took me awhile to select the perfect draft. I hope you like it! It really starts off May's feelings for Embry (and vice versa).**

**In response to the guest reviews I got:**

**Dear guests:**** Your reviews, theories and suggestions, were amazing! I re-read those comments at least a dozen times, just so happy to have feedback like that.**

**I already have had my story's plot and ending figured out for months now, so sadly I cannot fit in any major suggestions. However, some of you were close, and others were a bit off of some points I have planned for my story. I won't give too much away, there are a few possibilities for May's future that I will slowly reveal to you all. By the end of this fan-fic, only one will truly happen…**

**Chapter 14**

_Volturi._

Alice was now recovering, just as a vampire can, instantly. She flashed up to her feet almost as if nothing had happened. Esme rubbed her arm soothingly as Rosalie spoke up.

"How bad was the pain?" she said.

"It was pretty much Jane's level" Alice answered with a sigh.

Rosalie started pacing the room angrily. I didn't know that vampires could become fidgety until now. I looked to Alice questioningly. Who was Jane?

"Jane. She's a member of the Volturi. Her gift allows her to inflict pain through a person's mind. That terrible fit I just had, it felt exactly like Jane's ability would have." Alice murmured as she smoothed her hair back to its perfect condition.

I couldn't remember ever meeting a vampire like that during my childhood in Europe. Regardless, she sounded horrible and cruel. Just as I was about to voice these feelings, Bella spoke up "What did you see, Alice? When are they coming and what do they want?" She was asking about the Volturi, no doubt.

Alice shook her head sorrowfully "I'm not entirely sure. I couldn't grasp anything due to the excruciating pain. I only got bits and pieces of information. They could be on their way here now, as we speak. They could be here next week, next month, or a year from now. All I know is…a decision to come here was made."

I chewed on my lip nervously. So Alice had a vision, but it was screwed up all whacky from this major head-ache? I spoke up abruptly "What if the Volturi didn't _want _you to see them coming? What if somehow, they got Jane to project her ability into your vision so that it would mess everything up?" The girls around me froze, their fretting and worrying was momentarily forgotten.

Silence.

I pressed on "What if they were using the pain as a way to disguise their decision?"

"…Jane can't do that. At least, not by herself" Rosalie said in a half-jokingly manner.

I pondered her response. "If Arnaud manipulated Bella's shield to protect his thoughts from Edward, who's to say that the Volturi couldn't somehow push Jane's pain-inflicting ability into Alice's vision?" I replied.

More silence.

"That's…entirely possible" Bella murmured with a frown. I smiled. See, I could be helpful!

Esme spoke to me kindly, like she didn't want to hurt my feelings, "That _could _be possible…but nobody on the Volturi's guard has the ability you're explaining."

My smile vanished and was replaced with a thoughtful scowl.

"Um, guys, we need to head outside now" Alice announced, her voice slightly higher than usual. I blinked in surprise and stood up off of the couch, confusion clearly written all over my face. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme were already heading outside the front door of the cabin. Bella gave me an understanding look and explained "We can hear a tad better than you. We can hear the guys approaching the cabin—_five _sets of footsteps can be heard. They brought Nahuel with them."

Oh.

Of course we'd need to go outside! My scent had probably filled the entire cabin by now. At least if we all went out into the open air, their friend would have a better chance of holding actual conversation instead of raging forward to kill me.

As Bella and I reached the open door, she put out an arm to stop me from exiting. "Wait" she cautioned.

I held back a tiny smirk. I was almost two inches taller than her, and I looked to be just as old as she did; yet she seemed to mother me a lot lately—more so than Esme usually did.

I looked around outside, my eyes roaming the area. The sun had set, enveloping the woods into darkness. The cool Fall air was rich and sweet and all around us crickets chirped their nightly sonatas. My eyes, with me only being half-vampire, still had to adjust to the black night. The Cullens were easy to make out in the dark because of their porcelain skin-tones.

Rosalie, Alice, and Esme stood about ten yards from the door and off to the right. Twenty yards away from them stood Emmet, Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward. They too, held their arms out in an act of caution. I began to notice behind them was a lean, tanned man. He was harder to see in the dark, but my pupils were quickly working to dilate further. Now, seeing him more clearly, I saw that his hair was shoulder length and pulled back into a low braid. His eyes were dark and weary. When his gaze landed on me, half hidden in the doorway of the cabin, he froze.

I turned to Bella, "Is that—"

"Shhh!" She hushed me.

I scowled and waited for someone to finally start speaking. Edward was the first to talk.

"Bella, you guys are down wind. You two should be fine right there. Nahuel has been filled in on everything we know. Before that, he knew less about May's situation that we could have guessed. However, it seems that his sister has gone missing, so he now needs our help" he spoke.

Nahuel's sister? Which one?

"Josie" Edward clarified, hearing my thoughts. Josie was the one that lived in South America. The one that lived in Volterra was…Arianna? Edward nodded at me, answering my question.

Nahuel spoke up for the first time. His voice was rich and smooth, like honey, yet full of worry. "I haven't seen her in over a year—but I was living farther north, in Peru, with my aunt at the time. Josie remained farther south with Maysun, an older sister of mine, between Chile and Argentina. I thought she would be fine, but right before I left a week ago to come here to meet with you, I decided to head down to visit them. Maysun told me that she hadn't seen Josie for almost as long as I had. Apparently, Josie told her that she was going back to live with me."

"So Josie lied?" Alice inquired.

Nahuel shook his head. "I'm not sure. She could have actually been on her way to meet me, but she hates traveling and I doubt she would go alone. She would have been so terrified…" My heart ached at the amount of sadness in his voice. He sounded so…_broken. _

"What about Arianna and Serena? Have you heard from them?" Alice asked. Again, Nahuel shook his head. "No, they haven't answered my calls. I'm starting to panic."

Rosalie jumped into the conversation. "How old would Josie be at the time of her disappearance? In regular years."

He paused to think about it. "I moved up to Peru about a month right after you guys came by to save her from that vampire. She must have been halfway through her eighth year…" his sentence died off as an idea entered his mind. His brows furrowed. "You don't think that stalker you took down could have been trying to drink from her, right? I mean, you recently informed me of the 'first matured year' situation, but that's just a rumor" a humorless, dry laugh left his lips.

Oh, no.

Josie was going through about _a year ago_, what I am going through right _now_. If one vampire came after her blood, more could have caught on as well. And if she was missing, could the vampires have found her? Could she be…dead?

Nahuel seemed to catch on to our silence. Nobody answered him and similar thoughts as mine were probably coursing through the group's heads. Thoughtful, concerned expressions were on just about everyone else's faces.

"_No! _She can't be _dead_" Nahuel stated. His eyes flashed around to gage our expressions. From where I stood, I could hear his increased heart rate as fear sank in, but as the wind picked up, his heartbeats became harder for my ears to notice. I stepped out of the doorway of the cabin and onto the porch, trying to get a better look. Bella seemed to wrapped up in her own thoughts to protest my move.

The breeze whipped around me, pulling my hair wildly in front of my face. I sputtered and fought to keep the strands out of my way. When I finally managed to part my hair back into place so that I could see, I was able to catch the raw emotion on Nahuel's face. His eyes were filled with a deep mourning. I saw in his face, the same grief I felt when I heard Ted being ripped to pieces in our living room. Nahuel threw his head back and let out a long, drawn out roar of anger, frustration, and despair.

Then suddenly, he became rigid as the wind reached him.

Nahuel's head snapped downwards and his eyes locked onto mine. A low, predator-like growl ripped it's way out of his chest. Edward, Emmet, and Jasper instantly flashed over to him and held his arms behind his back. Jasper and Edward shared knowing expressions, silently speaking to each other. I stood on my tiptoes and struggled to peer around Bella and Esme as they lead me off the porch. They then tried to usher me towards the woods, but I wasn't having it. What were the guys saying? What was so important that they couldn't utter it out loud? I already knew all about how my scent would make me every unmated male vampire's singer for the next ten months. What else could go wrong?

Carlisle spoke up and drew my eye away from Edward and Jasper. "May, I think it's time for you to visit the reservation again. We'll talk with Nahuel once he calms down and fill you in later" he said.

Visit the reservation? It was nighttime! What was I supposed to do in the middle of the night?

Suddenly, Embry jogged out of the trees in the same borrowed clothes that Bella loaned him earlier. Slung over his shoulder was my backpack. Abruptly, it hit me: there was something important that I didn't know, and everyone else did. They were sending me off to the reservation so they could talk about it and continue to keep me unaware of whatever it was.

My mouth hung slightly open as I tried to find any words to say. I glanced back and forth at the group, eyes filled with hurt and accusation. Embry's warm, brown eyes were filled with unspoken apologies and they locked onto mine as he grabbed my wrist. Fine, if they wanted to get rid of me for the moment, then I would go…

But when the dust settled and the situation calmed down, I was going to keep asking questions until someone answered me, damn it!

Embry hurriedly slid my backpack onto my shoulders and then lead me into the trees. He exploded into his wolf form, tearing through the borrowed clothes, and we began to sprint away from the group. As we ran, Nahuel's frenzied snarls driven by thirst rang clear and strong in my ears. The farther we got from the cabin, the more muffled the noises were.

But I could have sworn that the guttural snarls slowly transformed themselves into strangled cries of mourning as my scent left and clarity took a hold of Nahuel's mind, only to be replaced by memories of grief for his lost sister.

**XXX**

We broke through the trees into an open space behind what seemed to be a neighborhood. The backyards of these houses were all connected without being interrupted by fences or walls. The only boundary line I could see was a small creek that ran along the edge of the woods.

Embry's wolfy snout nudged my elbow, prodding me to turn away from him. By now, I learned that this meant to look away while he phased back. I covered my eyes and turned to face a tree trunk while I heard shuffling behind me. I could hear Embry walking around on two legs now, crunching dry, brittle leaves and twigs under his bare feet. After a few more moments, he called out softly "You can uncover your eyes now, May."

I removed my hands from over my eyes and turned around to find Embry wearing a pair of knee length cutoff shorts. He must stash clothes somewhere in the woods for emergencies.

"C'mon, my house is this way" he said, avoiding eye contact. He looked…_guilty. _

I rolled my shoulders and adjusted my backpack while I followed behind him in silence. I was determined to get answers out of him, but I could wait until we got inside. I didn't like being out in the open like this. We leapt over the narrow creek and cut straight across a few yards until we reached a small, pale colored house. As we got closer, I realized that the house was actually painted a medium shade of yellow, but the light from the moon bleached it out at the moment.

There was a matching yellow shed in the back yard and a wind chime hung along the left side of the house. We circled around to the front yard and I saw a few garden beds adorning the property. Their contents were brown with shriveled leaves as the buds under the rich earth went to sleep for the upcoming winter.

Embry stopped on the front porch of this house and announced "This is my house. My mom should be home by now. May…" he paused and let out a deep sigh, finally locking his eyes onto mine. "She knows absolutely nothing. She doesn't know about the wolves, the vampires, or why I disappear at night because I have patrol. She thinks I've been going through a troubled phase for the past nine years—ever since I started phasing." He shook his head and looked down, trying to find the right words to say.

I decided to spare him the trouble and go easy on him, even if I was slightly angry with him. I sighed and muttered "Don't worry, I get it. You can't tell her these things—or you don't _want _to. You don't want to burden her. I wont say anything. Promise."

He looked up at me and nodded grimly, giving me a tight smile. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the door twice.

For a few moments, nothing happened. The house was silent and all my ears could pick up were the sounds of the neighborhood. A dog barked off in the distance. Wind chimes clanked softly in the night breeze. I listened harder. Embry's heartbeat was strong and steady in front of me. I pushed my hybrid hearing to branch out.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A resting heartbeat sounded from somewhere in the house. As the moments passed, the heart rate increased. The individual was getting worked up.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Then the door swung open abruptly.

"Embry Call! How dare you leave this house when you were _clearly _grounded. I leave for work this morning and then come home to find you missing, yet again! Even after I told you—oh, hello there" the voice cut off. Embry's mother, a petite woman, stopped in the middle of her scolding when her gaze landed on me. Her heart rate slowed as her anger at Embry cooled down a bit.

Embry cleared his throat. "Mom, this is May. She's Nessie's friend. She was staying with the Cullens, but Carlisle and Esme are arguing again and Jake's dad says there isn't enough room for both Nessie and May to stay over. Is it okay if she sleeps here for the night?" Embry explained.

Inside, I was feeling puzzled at what he just said, but I kept my face void of the emotion. Instead, I tried to look sad and disgruntled to play into the story Embry had told his mother. It seemed to work because she just sighed, backed away from the doorway, and held her left arm out.

"Come on in, you two" she said wearily.

Embry placed his hand lightly on the small of my back and nudged me forward. I tried to hold in the shiver that ran up my spine at his touch, but failed.

We stepped into the small, cozy living room. Straight ahead was the back of a medium sized couch that faced away from us and towards a sliding glass door covered by navy blue curtains. The backyard Embry and I just traversed could be seen through the slits in the fabric. A tiny, but clean and charming kitchen sat in the northeastern part of the space. Two hallways branched off from the living room: one went left, the other headed to the right and passed the kitchen.

Embry's mother shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. I was expecting her to continue lecturing Embry but she just pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered "I have an early shift in the morning. Just behave yourselves, okay?"

We both nodded and she walked down the hallway that headed to the left. Embry silently grabbed my hand and guided me down the other hall to the right half of the house.

Embry opened a door at the end of the hall and I followed him into the room. It was bare with only a twin sized bed, a dresser, and closet. A ceiling fan hung in the center of the room and a window was above the bed. This must be his bedroom.

I fiddled with the straps on my backpack uncomfortably and wondered how clichéd this came off. I hoped that Mrs. Call (or was it _Ms. _Call?) wouldn't think I was just some random girl that her son brought into his room late at night. Surely Embry wasn't thatkind of guy.

_Was he?_

Without a word, Embry began gathering the grey sheets off of the bed. He stripped the two pillows of their cases and then disappeared back out into the hall. I looked around the room and noticed a wooden chest sat at the foot of the mattress and a cushion sat atop of it. Embry was so tall, this must add another two feet to the length of his bed. Otherwise, his legs would just hang off the ledge.

I stood there, unmoving, until he returned with some neatly folded sky blue sheets, pillowcases, and a patchwork quilt. He started placing the items where they belonged on the bed. My muscles thawed from their frozen state and I stepped forward, "Need some help?"

"No, I got it" he answered. He still avoided looking at me directly. Guilt radiated off of him in waves. I could tell that Embry felt bad for being apart of the plan the Cullens came up with. They all but shipped me away so they could talk about who-knows-what without me.

I smiled a little smugly and just took a pillowcase anyways. I began to help, despite his protests. "So, are you gonna tell me anything about what happened back at the cabin?" I inquired.

"Nope" he stated quickly.

I huffed out a breath and sighed. "C'mon! Please? Just tell me! I'm going to find out eventually."

"May, I can't. Alice made me promise—"

"Ah ha! So it was all Alice's idea?" I prodded.

He fell silent. Refusing to budge. After the bed was neatly made he spoke again. "You can sleep in here for tonight. I'll sleep out on the couch" he offered, changing the subject.

I blinked a few times, eyebrows furrowing. "No! I can't kick you out of your own room!" My voice grew high in worry, questions momentarily forgotten. I had already taken Renesmee's room back at the Cullen house—okay, sure she had gotten a fabulous new room soon after when Alice and Jasper moved out…but I still felt bad about it.

"May, it's fine" he muttered.

"No, it's not. You're like seven feet tall! I bet you can't even fit on the couch" I argued exaggeratedly. I adjusted the straps of my backpack on my shoulders and turned to go out into the hallway.

His hand caught my wrist and he pulled me back into the room. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. I turned back to face him and his eyed held mine. All traces of guilt vanished from his face.

"It's fine" he spoke slowly, assuring me. I gulped and nodded. I had almost forgotten the effect his gaze had on my nerves. Now I was fully reminded of that fact.

He broke away and spoke "So, you can sleep here for the night. You can take a shower if you'd like. Bathroom is right across the hall." I took this information in, nodding occasionally, as I slung the pack from my shoulders and evaluated it's contents. Toothpaste, toothbrush, hairbrush, socks. A shower sounded wonderful. I felt grimy, especially because I was still currently wearing the same clothes I went fishing in. I also needed to change into some new underwear and a bra as well, since just a few hours ago I was drenched in lake water, but I wouldn't have expected Embry to pack me some new ones.

"I wasn't sure what you'd need so I just grabbed about anything I saw. I tried not to pry and rifle through all your stuff" he laughed.

I found my blue pajama shorts and tank top stuffed inside. I dug around further and was surprised to find a pair of white cotton hip huggers with small black polka dots and a matching bra with lace trim. A part of me was relieved to have new undergarments to change into, but then I realized that Embry packed them.

I spun around, one eyebrow raised, and held the pieces of clothing in my hand.

He glanced down at the contents in my grasp. His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. He held his hands up in a sign of surrender and chuckled. "Don't worry. I just opened the drawer, grabbed whatever was on top, and put it in the bag. It took less than a second. I was a perfect gentleman, really!"

I couldn't tell if I was more embarrassed or more grateful to have clean clothes.

Embarrassment won.

**XXX**

After my shower, I had changed into the clothes Embry packed (yes, _all _of the clothes…including the cotton underwear set). It was nice to be clean of lake water and grime.

I then tiptoed back to the room as quietly as I could, trying not to wake Embry's mom, and crawled into the bed. I heard the pipes in the house creak and screech softly as the shower turned on. Embry must have decided to follow suit and shower as well.

I burrowed under the sheets and the quilt and tried to find sleep, to no avail. Time passed. The pipelines in the house quieted as the water shut off, Embry's footsteps sounded down the hall and into the living room, and soon all I heard were his even breaths carrying throughout the house as sleep took him.

I laid there, thinking about the day, while I absently traced the patterns on the quilt. I wondered what could have happened to Josie. My heart ached as I thought of how sad and broken Nahuel had appeared. I hoped desperately that we were all over thinking the situation and that Josie could still be alive.

My mind briefly switched to how hurt I felt when I realized that I was being sent away. I quickly dismissed the thoughts, not wishing to dwell on it.

Instead, I thought of how nice the weather was tonight. I closed my eyes and imagined the night. The woods looked beautiful as Embry and I ran to the reservation. I could picture it: the deciduous trees had lost almost all of their leaves by now and the evergreen trees contrasted deeply. The moon was just a few days or so from becoming full and it shone on ground, illuminating Embry's silver fur.

Slowly, I drifted off into a dream.

_I was hunting._

_I prowled the forest for my kill. My surrounding were dark and I could make out that it was clearly nighttime. The forest glowed silver under the moon's pale glow. The cool breeze was pleasant on my skin, swirling around me lightly._

_The wind brought with it the most delicious scent. I followed it, stalking my prey until I came to a clearing in the woods. My eyes scanned the area quickly, searching for the source of the enthralling scent. Finally, my eyes caught a deer in the center of the clearing—no, it wasn't just any old deer. It was a buck._

_A beautiful snow white stag._

_Something told me to hurry, like I was out of time. I had to feed! I burst forward out of my hiding place at the edge of the tree line. I pounced on my target and sunk my teeth into its soft, pale neck. The taste was the most delectable, thirst quenching I'd ever had. I savored it._

_Finished, I dropped the head. Antlers clanked against the ground and the head lolled to the side. Blood from the wound stained the small area where my mouth was previously at its neck. The deep crimson stood out against the pure white of the stag's fur._

_I sighed, content. Then suddenly, a figure stepped out of the trees._

_Their face was covered in shadow and I couldn't tell who the person was, but I sensed danger. I knew I had to leave. NOW._

_I turned to run, but was tackled instantly._

_I screamed._

"May!"

I thrashed out of my nightmare. I couldn't move, someone was pinning me down. I tried to scream but my mouth was quickly covered.

"May! It's just me!" the person hissed quietly, attempting to whisper.

My labored breathing slowed as my eyes adjusted. I glanced around the room, searching for any signs of a threat and finding none. I looked up into the eyes of the person holding me to the bed. Warm, light brown with specks of gold. _Embry._

Realization swept through me. I assessed the situation to find out that he was straddling my waist, careful not to put too much weight on me. His knees rested against the sides of my thighs. His left hand held both of my wrists above my head while his right hand was placed over my mouth.

I blinked and furrowed my brow. Slowly, Embry lifted his hand from my mouth and let my wrists go. He rose and stood next to the bed.

"You had a nightmare." It wasn't a question, but a statement. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He continued, "At first you were just mumbling incoherent noises, but then you started whimpering. I got worried."

I frowned.

He continued "I came in here to see if you were okay. I tried to wake you up but then you started kicking and fighting…" Oh.

"Did I wake up your mother?" I whispered, wincing. I hoped not. He shook his head and I let out a breath of relief.

He leaned down and cupped my chin in his hand. I froze, heart rate speeding up impossibly fast. He ran a thumb over the underside of my left eye. "You need to feed" he said in another statement, without a hint of question. I simply nodded my response. I must be developing shadows under my eyes. It has been almost a month after all. The last time I hunted was when I arrived in Forks.

Perhaps the nightmare was just induced by hunger?

He removed his hand from my face and gently took my hand. "Come on" he whispered, leading me through the house quietly. I tiptoed after him. He slowly slip open the sliding glass door and we ended up in his backyard.

We walked a few strides towards the forest when he abruptly stopped. He placed his hands on my shoulders and peered down at my face.

"Wait here" he urged and then jogged into the trees.

Minutes passed as I stood there awkwardly. I was starting to worry. The fear and urgency from my nightmare came crawling back to me. I shifted on my feet nervously and held my arms close to my chest.

Finally, a soft shuffling noise came from the trees. Embry's wolf walked out, dragging a limp deer by its throat. He placed it gently at my feet and then he trotted back into the forest.

Seconds later, Embry jogged back out of the tree line in his shorts. "Go on, it's okay" he insisted. I knelt down hesitantly and picked up the deer by its neck. I was slightly relieved that it was just a doe. The deer in my dream had been a stag with massive antlers.

I sat on my knees and Embry knelt down next to me. He must have skillfully broken its neck without causing damage to the tissues or puncturing the skin. I tentatively bit into the flesh and drunk greedily. I didn't realize just how thirsty I was until now.

Eventually, the deer was finished and I sat it down with a sigh. Exhaustion began to sink in and I yawned. Embry helped me to my feet.

He walked me back to his room and helped me into bed. As he turned to leave, a rush of fear flooded through me. I didn't want to be alone—not at a time like now. I feared that the nightmare would return. I was afraid that the next time I had that horrible dream, I would find out who had stepped through those trees and why I had such a sense of urgency to run.

Just as Embry stepped into the hall I called out a soft "Wait!"

He turned back slowly and faced me with an puzzled look on his features.

"Stay with me? Please?" my voice broke. He looked at me for a moment, a pained expression crossed his face. He seemed to be debating what to do.

Eventually, he gave in. The terror and need in my eyes must have broken his resolve. He climbed into the bed slowly and I scooted over to make room for him. He stayed on top of the quilt and hesitantly pulled me to his chest. Without a word, I gently laid my head on his shoulder and he began to stroke my hair, still slightly damp from the shower earlier.

The last thing I saw before falling into a dreamless sleep was the pattern on the quilt I traced earlier. I didn't get a chance to actually look at it before.

Now that I studied it, I saw that it was a grey wolf.

**AN- Aww, I thought the ending was kinda cute ^.^**

**GOOD NEWS: My story is going to be a long one! Probably anywhere between 35 and 45 chapters by the end of it all. I like to take things slow and in detail, rather than rushing. So you can count on getting alerts for a while! (If you aren't following this story, I suggest you do! I'd hate for you to get lost in the updates. Following the story is for your benefit mostly)**

**Can I reach 50 reviews for my birthday? It's April 20 :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the character "May" and the plotline.**

**AN- Hey guys! A lot of you want more romance and also for May to be stronger. Well, I've been slowly approaching that and I think I'm getting there! I've been planning on getting to the romance for a few chapters now, and I think I'm happy with how I have it all planned in my head. Now I just have to type it out!**

**Also, May will be showing her tough/stronger side in a few chapters. Don't worry, I got it all planned!**

**Enjoy!**

**Guest review responses:**

**Sophie: Haha, yeah that was an almost kissable moment. However, I had a better moment planned out ;)**

**Guest: Hm, I can't think of any other hybrid stories off of the top of my head. You're welcome to click on my profile and look at all the stories I've followed and favorited and search there for some. There might be a few, I just can't remember them.**

**Cupn00dles: Yeah, I've been taking it slow and trying to build up the romance. However, now I really like spicing things up a bit! Things are getting interesting…**

** .jaques: Aww, why thank you! I think you'll be pleased with this chapter. I've had it planned out for three weeks already, but I just needed to actually type it out. I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 15**

I stirred.

I kept my eyes closed, but stretched my muscles as I awoke. A small yawn escaped my lips and I basked in the warmth of the morning sun.

My sheets were hot as they absorbed the heat from the sun's rays. _It must be only an hour before noon_, I deduced. The large windows in my/Renesmee's old room let in extreme amounts of sunlight that heat up the space fairly quickly.

I frowned as I suddenly realized that I couldn't feel the sun on my skin.

Opening my eyes slowly, I peered around the tiny area. The ceiling fan lazily whirred above my head. The sole window in the room let in a fraction of the amount of light I was expecting to wake up to. The rays that filtered through the navy curtains had cast the white walls into a blue haze. When my eyes landed on the quilt covering my legs, it hit me. All the previous night's events came rushing back to my mind.

A soft groan sounded from my right.

The strong, russet tanned arm that rested around my waist tightened ever so slightly and pulled me an inch closer to the figure behind me. My eyes widened impossibly large. I peeked over my shoulder to see the dozing young man resting peacefully. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I took in the fact that Embry Call was sleeping in the same bed as me. He smelled like clean, crisp pine and earth. I failed to hold back a smile as I noticed that I did as well—partially due to the fact that I had to use his shampoo and shower wash last night…but also because he was pressed against my body, leaving his scent behind. My hair, clothes, and skin would most likely smell like him for hours. He began to stir and I realized that he too, was waking up.

But before any of us even thought of speaking, Embry's mom interrupted.

Her voice called from down the hallway. "I'm going to work! Embry, where are y—" her question died off as she appeared in the doorway.

Embry leapt from the bed (now fully awake and alert) and began trying to explain, but she just held a hand up to silence him. Shock crossed her features but then it was quickly replaced by anger. Eventually, that also faded in a second to form a cold, unconcerned apathy. "Embry, I'm going to go get the towels off of the clothes line before I go. Don't expect me to make it home for dinner." Her voice was level and monotone. She leaned around his hulking form and her eyes locked onto mine. They were utterly void of emotion, "It was nice to meet you."

She spun on her heels without another word and disappeared back down the hall from whence she came.

Embry sighed and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. I heard the sliding glass door leading to the backyard open. Seconds later, a shriek pierced the still, morning air.

I winced, coming to grasp exactly why Ms. Call was screaming her lungs out.

"The deer…" I pointed out to Embry. He groaned and hurried out into the living room. I struggled to detangle myself from the sheets, tripping in the process, and then I followed.

Just as I arrived, Ms. Call was storming to the front door. Embry was trying to calm her down, to no avail. "Oh _great_! Could this day possibly get started off any worse? What kind of sick people would just leave a dead deer in our backyard?" she wailed. "Probably one of Embry's steroid abusing, gang-banging friends pulling a prank" she muttered under her breath. I saw Embry flinch at her words and I tried to give him an apologetic look when Ms. Call wasn't looking my way.

She headed onto the front porch and slammed the door shut behind her. Seconds later, I could hear a car starting up in the driveway. Eventually the sounds of the car faded as she drove off for her shift at the diner.

A few moments of silence passed between Embry and I. He just stared at the front door with a longing look on his face.

The instant my stomach started growling ravenously, he seemed to break out of his state. "Well, that was awkward" he announced. Turning away from me, he headed into the attached kitchen.

I raised my eyebrow inquisitively as he began to rummage through the cupboards. I strode into the kitchen after him and entered just as he retrieved a tin coffee container from a shelf. He opened it and, surprisingly, the contents of the metal cylinder were revealed to be folded up pieces of paper. He sorted through them until he finally pulled out whichever one he was searching for.

"Embry, what on earth are you doing?"

"You mean 'what are _we _doing'" he corrected. "_We _are going to be making my grandmother's famous French toast for breakfast."

I stared at him skeptically. "I don't know how to cook anything that isn't steak." Okay, maybe that was exaggerating, but I truly didn't know how to cook anything that didn't come from animals. Eggs, dairy, and meat were about the only thing Ted knew to feed me as I grew up. I was like the total opposite of a vegan up until recently. I feared that if I tried to bake of pan fry something, I'd burn the entire house down.

Although, I _can _cook eggs pretty well. Ted taught me how to use the stove for frying eggs. I chewed on my lip and offered up this information. "Or omelets! I'm a fantastic omelet chef! I can make us some with a little bit—or a lot of cheese if you want. Maybe some bacon. Do you guys have bacon? If not, I can always run to the store and—" I rambled on nervously until he cut me off.

"May?" he smiled softly.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and help me gather the ingredients for French toast, will you?" he teased.

I pursed my lips and then scowled. I snatched the recipe from his hands. Fine, I'd help make this strange toast if it allowed Embry get his mind off of his mom's anger. I scanned through the list and soon Embry and I had all the materials laid out on the counter top.

"Thanks for helping me out last night. I get really on edge when I need to feed and I had been putting it off for awhile." The nightmares didn't help either. "And thanks for…staying with me last night. I don't normally get such vivid dreams like that. I'm really sorry I made things worse for you and your mom." He shrugged it off and explained that I couldn't have done much harm. Apparently, his mom already thought he was troublesome without my help.

"So…how old are you exactly?" I inquired as he measured out the flour (according to Embry, adding flour to the batter made the toast extra crispy and it fried better. Grandma Call's famous French toast seemed rather complicated to me).

"Hm, I think now I'd have to be twenty-four. You kind of tend to forget these things after awhile of not aging anymore" he laughed. Huh. For being physically six years older than me, Embry could easily pass for as young as nineteen and as old as twenty-five. He just had one of those faces that you couldn't truly guess how old the person was.

"Your twenty-four and you still live with your mom?" I joked.

He chuckled, "Ha ha. Very funny, but no—not really. I actually have an apartment a few blocks away from here. I just come down and stay with her for a weekend every few months. When I do stay over here with her, she still acts over protective and attempts to ground me."

I laughed lightly as I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mix. "Oh, so why did we come here and traumatize your poor mother instead of just going to your place?"

He gave me a strange look and began to stir the dipping mixture for the bread. "Well, because her house is closest to the center of the reservation. It's safest and the elders are positioned around it. It's secure" he put simply. I nodded and got the bread out and ready to be fried.

"So, do you know how Renesmee is doing? I haven't seen her since before we went fishing yesterday morning. She said she was going to be down here hanging out with Jake. If she's still around here somewhere, do you think I could see her?" I asked curiously as I handed him two slices of bread.

He took them from me and dipped them in the bowl, "She's already left by now. Alice said she was safe from Nahuel since she turned nine already. Her and Jake probably headed back right after we arrived last night."

I raised my eyebrow. What _else _did Alice tell him? And when exactly would the two of them have had any time to talk during last night's situation?

"So…you gonna tell me what happened _now?_" I prodded.

He sighed as he laid the bread on the hot skillet. The batter sizzled softly. "I'll tell you _most _of the information I know—but that's it."

Most? Not _all? _I wanted to know everything! He must have caught my look of objection, because he put a hand up to stop me from speaking.

"I can't tell you everything. Alice made me promise. If I give everything away, apparently you'll try to fix the situation and end up getting yourself injured in the process." He gave me an understanding smile before continuing on "and the same goes for me, too. When Alice told me what was going on, I got angry and wanted to do something, _anything _to help—but she said that if I did, you would just end up getting hurt. So don't feel too bad about being unable to do anything. I know the feeling."

I sighed, relenting, and waited for him to elaborate.

"Okay, so you remember Rosalie explaining to us what Edward heard in Arnaud's thoughts? Right before I left the cabin?"

I tapped my chin as I thought back to last night. Rose said that, according to Edward, the moment Arnaud took in my scent… he had obsessive feelings over me and simultaneously craved my blood like a drug addict. I frowned and nodded to Embry that I remembered.

He flipped the toast in the skillet and proceeded to explain his story to me, all the while keeping his gaze on the pan. "I couldn't just sit there any longer. I was so angry. I was mere seconds from phasing." He stopped and turned his attention away from the food and looked me straight in my eyes.

"I couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting you" he said slowly. His voice wavered, full of emotion and sorrow.

This was what I loved the most about Embry. Despite the fact that we were just friends, he cared so deeply for my safety. He put so much into those around him. On more than one occasion, I had overheard him covering Collin's or Brady's patrol shifts when they were falling behind in school. He talked with Jacob over the best strategies to protect the reservation from threats. He even attempted to keep his mother out of the jumbled up world he secretly lived in as a wolf.

I smiled sweetly at him and hoped he knew how grateful I was that he genuinely tried to help me out. Hell, the guy went out and got me a deer last night out of the forest like it was a takeout order of Chinese food!

He returned my smile and continued "So after I left, I ran around the area to let off steam. Not even ten minutes later, Carlisle comes leading Nahuel and the rest of the guys back. Seconds after that, the door to the cabin bursts open. Alice, Esme, and Rosalie all rush out and begin speaking at that super fast, vampire speed. It was chaos—all the Cullen's were speaking at once and even my shifter hearing had trouble keeping up. Next thing I know, the little pixie is at my side and telling me that she had three visions simultaneously. She said that I needed to go get some things from your room, then she muttered any key pieces of information that she thought I should know, and before I had a chance to blink she all but shoved me into the forest!"

So Alice had a third vision that she was hiding from me? She told me the first two: Nahuel's arrival in Forks and then the Volturi's visit—which the exact date and time still remains unknown, I might add.

He took a deep breath after explaining all that and then added one more thing: "Before heading up to the house, I stole one fleeting glance back at the cabin. The last thing I caught a glimpse of was Bella preventing you from leaving the doorway. She knew to keep you from the group for just a couple of seconds—a few moments are really all a scheming vampire like Alice needs to come up with a plan" he laughed quietly.

"Okay, you're telling me that in the five seconds it took me to get up off the couch and walk out to the porch…Alice thought of a plan, shared it with all of the other Cullens, informed you of the situation, and sent you packing before I could catch on?" I sputtered dubiously.

"Precisely" he stated simply as he put the steaming toast onto a plate and then dipped some more bread into the batter bowl.

I scoffed and then moved about the kitchen, cleaning up supplies we no longer needed, and prodded "So…what 'key pieces of information' did Alice tell you? I know you said you couldn't tell me _everything_, but isn't there just a few tiny, itsy-bitsy details you could let slip without all hell breaking loose?"

He dropped the soggy bread onto the hot skillet and it sizzled. "Hmm…nope."

I groaned internally. Pretty much everyone knew some huge secret detail from one of Alice's visions—everyone _but _me! I grumbled and began to roll down the paper flap of the flour bag. I reached up above Embry to place the bag into the cupboard when my grip slipped…

And flour poured all over Embry's shirt.

He startled and backed up half a step with his arms held outwards in a 'what-just-happened?' look, spatula in hand. He glanced down at his clothes and then looked back up to glare at me. "Oh, it's on!" he shouted as he turned off the burner for the stove so that the toast wouldn't burn and then slowly stalked towards me.

My eyes widened and I started backing away quickly. His eyes narrowed and a low, rumbling growl came out of his throat. I squeaked in surprise as he lunged forward.

He ran his palm over his shirt, grabbing at the powder that clung to the fabric, and then smeared the flour over my left arm. I gasped, alarmed, and retaliated by scooping up some flour from the counter top. I held out my hand, keeping it level, and blew the fine particles into his hair like I was blowing a kiss. His laughter filled up the small space as he grabbed me and pulled me to his chest tightly, pressing my clothes against his. He scooped me up into his arms, making me squeal and giggle as he swung me around in circles. After a moment, he released me with a satisfied grin. I looked down and found myself to be sufficiently covered in the flour as well.

Our laughter slowly died off and I soon found myself to be pressed against the fridge as he leaned over me. Our heavy breathing was the only sound in the entire house as we calmed our pounding heartbeats. He looked down, into my eyes and I looked up into his. I reached out and brushed some flour from his hair.

I realized that it wasn't just the pull of interest mixed with allurement that drew me to him. The spark I felt when his skin met mine, didn't dominate my feelings for him. One moment, I felt like we were simply 'just friends'. The next moment, I could be feeling emotions for him I'd never felt before. Even if I wasn't entirely sure what _kind _of relationship we had, I knew that those superficial pulls didn't make up a truly happy relationship between two people.

Fondness for the other person's personality, character, traits, and nature was what made it real. I loved how sweet and kind he was. He was strong, but gentle. Intelligent and self assured with the pack members, but yet humble. He poured so much of himself into helping everyone around him.

Since the moment I met him, everything about him had enticed me towards him. I tried to hide my interest and downplay it, but for the three and a half weeks I'd known him, it only grew as I found out just how great of a person he truly was.

Was I falling for Embry Call?

His hand cupped the side of my face and his thumb brushed over my cheekbone, smearing more flour onto my skin. He looked at me deeply, searching my soul with his gaze.

"Embry—" I breathed out, but was cut off by his lips against mine. They were rough, but soft at the same time. He pulled me closer against him gently and it hit me like a ton of bricks: yes, I _was _falling for him.

All thoughts of just trying to remain friends while focusing on training and survival had completely been thrown out of the window that was my mind. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to just feel. My lips began moving with his and I felt all his affection and need pour into me. I could sense just how long he'd been waiting for this moment. How hungry he was for contact. My hands found their way into his hair while his cupped the back of my neck and my lower back. Our mouths moved slowly and with passion.

This moment could last forever and I wouldn't mind. In this minute, there was no worrying about rogue vampires or hidden secrets. It was just Embry and I. And then it ended. He pulled back just a few millimeters to let us breath. Air entered my lungs swiftly and exited in sharp, ragged breaths.

"May…" he murmured, lips brushing softly against mine as he spoke. I opened my eyes and looked up into his. They were filled with such deep, raw emotion. Need, wanting, caring, and joyfulness mixed together in those light brown orbs of his.

He brushed his fingers over my jaw line once more and I smiled at him gently. He took a step backwards and sighed, troubled. "So, where does this put us?" he motioned between the both of us with his hands. "You're leaving Forks at the end of the week "

"Well, I've actually been thinking about that a lot lately. What if I got a job here— and an apartment? I could stay! I could remain close friends with Renesmee and the others. You and I could see where this goes…" I trailed off and rubbed the back of my neck. This was the first time I've voiced my plan to anyone and I was worried how it would be taken. Plus, I was also extremely curious about where Embry and I stood in our 'friendship-turned-into-something-more'.

He looked at me, eyes slightly shining of hope, and took my hand into his. The hope died off and concern came out in them "What about your safety? Those vampires are still out there!"

I shrugged "They'll be anywhere I go. I figure here is the safest place for me to be. I just have to get the Cullens approval. After all, I _am _staying in their territory, attracting violent outsiders to the town. On the bright side, the pheromones and hormones in my blood should be fading less than a year from now."

I did the math in my head. I arrived here a month ago, late in September. Right now, it was the last week of October. Renesmee said she was born September tenth, and her ninth birthday was just a few weeks before my arrival in Forks. I was born the Summer after Renesmee, but nobody told me exactly when my birthday was. The Volturi knew of course. I was brought to them just days after I was born. Ted knew my birthday as well, but he took that to the grave with him. The Volturi was hiding something, keeping tricks up their sleeves by preventing me from knowing the exact date of my own birth. All I know for certain was that it was September when Ted was killed on that terrible day our apartment was broken into. It could have been anywhere between one or three months after my true birthday when that vampire had finally managed to catch onto my scent.

I would have to fear for my life for the next eight to ten months, never truly knowing the exact moment I would be safe.

I told Embry my estimated window of time and explained all the reasons behind it. He let out a low whistle and asked "So Ted was told to never reveal your birthday to you?" I shook my head 'no' and he continued, "You never celebrated your birthday?"

"Hmm… not really."

He chuckled and rubbed his thumb in small, circling patterns on the back of my hand as he held it. "Alice is going to want to make up for that. She'll buy you anything and everything you could think of and throw a gigantic party." An actual birthday party sounded fun, but I didn't want her spending any more money on me. I made an uncomfortable face and Embry laughed again lightly. "Don't worry, it'll stay our little secret."

He finished up making the toast and we finally got to sit down and enjoy breakfast. Right before I dug into the first bite, Embry stopped me. He made me close my eyes as he rummaged through the drawers. After hearing a bunch of noise and racket, he finally announce that I could look.

I glanced down at my plate and saw eight tiny, multi-colored candles alight and sticking straight up out of the toast. I laughed incredulously and gave Embry a smirk. "What's this?" I asked, voice rising in pitch with humor.

"One candle for each year. Happy belated birthday—er, _birthdays_" he answered. "Make a wish"

I giggled and closed my eyes, wishing that staying here in Forks would work out perfectly. I blew out the candles and thanked him with a soft kiss on his cheek. Tingles went along my spine as I remembered our first kiss just minutes ago. We dug into the meal and continued to talk and joke around. After breakfast, Embry left to dispose of the deer that was still on the back porch. He said it wouldn't go to waste if he placed it in the forest for the mountain lions to scavenge.

Just as I finished washing up the kitchen from out flour fight, the phone rang. Embry returned and answered it while I dried the dishes. Moments later, he hung up. "What was it?" I asked.

"That was Carlisle. You officially get to back to the house."

As much as I was happy to return to Renesmee and the others, hanging out here with Embry and just talking was enough to keep me content forever.

**AN- Aww, they finally had their first kiss! Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all your time and help everyone! Reviews make my heart swell with so much joy and happiness! *tears up sappily***

**Can I reach 55 reviews before Felix and the Volturi show up? Lets try!**


	16. Chapter 16

*****DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot, and May Miller! *****

**AN- Hey guys! I am officially done with the semester in college, so now I am free to write a lot more! Expect sooner updates! WHOO!**

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! They mean the world to me. I am so honored to have you all read my story! *tears up***

**I am SO happy the way this chapter turned out. It might just be my favorite one so far! I hope you like it as much as I do! And the ending may leave you a bit shocked. Here you go!**

**Chapter 16**

It was now the last day of the month. Tomorrow was October first and it marked the day I would move out of the Cullen house. During the past few days, Embry and I hadn't kissed again, nor had we talked about our kiss. We just had some unspoken agreement between us. We both knew that we had _feelings _for the other, but there was no pressure to rush anything. We still talked often and contact between us remained at hand holding and hugs, but they felt different somehow—better. We had hung out a few times and on two separate occasions, he had driven me around town to look for jobs and a possible apartment opening in the area. It seemed promising and I planned to make a deposit on a place just a few blocks away using the last of my cash reserve in my backpack that stayed hidden under my bed at the Cullens'.

But first, I needed to announce my plan to the Cullen family. Second, I'd need their approval to stay in town. It was their area after all.

Everyone still refused to tell me what Alice's third vision was and all the commotion that went with it. The family just treated me as if nothing had gone wrong at all. Jasper and I still trained as much as possible and I continued to help Esme out around the house. Renesmee and I had movie nights with popcorn (which was a delightful little snack that you could put butter on. God knows why I never thought of trying it before) and sometimes the other women of the house would join us.

Nahuel remained in the area, wallowing in his grief while living in some old cottage in the middle of the woods on the far side of town. He'd contact the Cullen house when he needed to discuss something with Carlisle, and then I'd be sent off to Embry's for the day in order to prevent Nahuel from killing me.

Alice kept her mind open to make sure he stayed in line and kept to his place. Edward checked his thoughts during his visits and was certain that Nahuel had no intent of hunting me down as long as my scent didn't cloud his judgment.

Speaking of being hunted down, the area seemed pretty calm according to the wolves. The only scent trail they could find was a faint one on the edge of town. Besides that, things were quiet.

Eerily quiet.

Some small part of me couldn't help but worry, despite everyone's assurances.

I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts by Renesmee. She flashed down the grand staircase and found me on the couch, curled up and reading a book. The novel was from Carlisle's office (he allowed me to borrow his books whenever I wanted, as long as I returned them safely to the exact same spot I retrieved them from on the shelf). I sat down the work of literature, _Silence of the Lambs, _and looked up at her expectantly.

"May, it's already six forty five. You need to start getting ready!" she fretted, the hot rollers in her hair bounced around as she shook her head.

"I thought you already had naturally curly hair at the ends?" I asked, jokingly changing the subject.

"Oh, well I do! But the rollers change the shape of the curls and make them go farther up and evenly dispersed throughout my hair and also—hey! That's not the point! Are you going to get your lazy butt up off of the couch already or not?"

I snickered as I stood up and stretched out my muscles. It was kind of ironic that she called me lazy, especially because I clean the house more than she does…and I don't even technically live here!

She was kind of right about one thing, though. I really needed to start getting ready. Tonight was the big bonfire party down at La Push that Seth had invited me to a month ago. It started right after seven thirty, just minutes before sunset. I guess reading up on Hannibal Lecter had distracted me and time had gotten away too fast.

I sighed and thanked Renesmee for reminding me. I went upstairs to my room (actually, for only the next few hours, it would remain mine) and washed my face, brushed my teeth, and picked out my outfit: dark wash skinny jeans and brown combat boots with their lips folded down to reveal the red plaid lining of the shoes. I wore a chocolate colored long sleeved shirt and brushed out my naturally wavy hair.

I applied my makeup next. Black winged eyeliner, two coats of dark mascara, light blush, translucent powder to keep my skin matte, and a dab of clear lip gloss completed the look. Since kissing Embry only a few days ago, I had asked Alice for her expert advice with makeup. I wanted to dress up my appearance a little.

I grabbed my black pea coat just as Renesmee knocked on my door. I opened it and stepped out into the hallway. Her hair looked beautiful. Large, voluminous curls framed her heart shaped face. She examined my outfit, announced her approval, and then we headed down the stairs to wait for Jacob and Embry to come pick us up.

We sat on the couch and watched TV with Jasper and Emmet for the next ten minutes. When the doorbell rang, the rest of the Cullens flashed into the living room. Rosalie answered the door to let in the two shifters and I suddenly found it rather odd that everyone's eyes were now trained on me.

"May, we all have something to tell you" Carlisle announced. _Were they finally going to tell me Alice's third vision?_

Edward shook his head 'no' at me, answering my thoughts. I stood up from my spot on the couch and cocked my head to the side slightly in confusion.

Bella strode slowly up to me, holding Edward's hand in hers. Renesmee got up off of the couch and Edward wrapped an arm around her. The three of them stood there in front of me, embracing each other. This was really wierd…

Bella's gold eyes were shining in excitement and also nervousness. "May…you've been with is for a month now—and I know that might not feel like a lot of time to you, but you've been such a joy to have as a guest. You and Renesmee are nearly inseparable at times and you do so much around the house here. You're kind to everyone and we've all grown to care about you."

I furrowed my brows and looked around the room at everyone. Carlisle held Esme close while she looked to me hopefully. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmet all held amused smiles on their faces. Jacob and Embry stood silently by the door, unreadable looks on their features.

I glanced back to Renesmee and her parents. Edward spoke up next "We're talked this over with everyone. Carlisle and Esme agree with us and well, May…Bella and I would like to adopt you."

I blinked, trying to grasp what he just said to me.

Bella misunderstood my silence and offered "I know we look to be around the same age as you, but it wouldn't be all that different than the relationship we already have with Nessie. Carlisle and Esme are frozen in their early twenties and yet they're Edward's parents as well. It may feel a bit strange for awhile, but you could get used to it—if you wanted to. I know we could never truly fill the role of 'parents' in your life…but we don't mind trying."

I was stumped. Ted was all the family I had for my entire life. He was gone now, and my heart still ached constantly at the loss. Nobody could replace him but at the same time, I couldn't live alone in my grief forever. This didn't mean I couldn't consider _more _people as a part of family.

"Okay" I answered softly. I looked into Bella's eyes and gave her a gentle smile. "I'd really like that a lot. Thank you!" My voice steadily grew stronger and less hushed as joy began to blossom in me. I nodded eagerly and my smile widened.

I laughed as Renesmee rushed forward to hug me "We can be sisters! Just like Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose are! They may not be related by blood, but it's the same nonetheless."

I giggled and hugged her back. How exactly would this work? I didn't even have an identity in this country. I had to shred and burn all my documents and passports after arriving in Forks.

Edward answered my curiosity. "To the government and general public, you will be officially taken in as Carlisle and Esme's newest foster child. Just like Renesmee, you'll tell outsiders that Bella and I are your siblings. To the vampire world, we will claim you as our own daughter—our youngest daughter."

I was absolutely glowing with newfound happiness and excitement, that is, until a new question appeared in my mind. "How exactly do you all appear to the townspeople? Aren't you all supposed to be a lot older by now?" I inquired. From Renesmee's stories of how her parents met, didn't the younger Cullens graduate high school almost a decade ago? I wondered how that would go over if they ever bumped into someone they used to know in town.

"That's simple," Carlisle responded, "I no longer work at the hospital. I visit small clinics when needed and do most of my work online. The hospital thinks I am starting on an early retirement. If we ever need to go into town, Alice warns us of any places to stay away from incase an old coworker or high school student is there. Eventually, we will have to move away though. New documents, names, and complete identities will have to be drawn up. Alice has seen the exact date we should leave, but it's a day we try not to think about until we have to."

I frowned slightly. I didn't want to leave behind Embry and I'm sure that Renesmee didn't want to part with Jacob. I gave a worried glance to Embry as he stood silently by the door with Jake.

At that moment, Alice let out a delighted gasp. We all turned to her questioningly and discovered her eyes to be slightly glazed over.

She held her tiny hands together in amusement and her voice was cheerful as she explained her latest vision to us all. "Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and May can stay in Forks for as long as they want. If they move closer to the boundary line of the town and the La Push reservation in five years, they won't be discovered by any outsiders. It's simple really, just buy anything you need via online shopping and food from the market on the reservation." Speaking next to Bella she stated, "Charlie can visit you guys all the time! He already heads down there to fish with Billy almost every weekend. It's perfect!"

I sighed in relief and Embry beamed happily at me. I returned the gesture and then I thought of a question regarding Alice's statement. "Who's Charlie?" I asked.

Edward answered me, "Bella's father. He only knows the basic necessities and is completely fine with being kept in the dark as much as possible."

Another question popped into my head, "But what about the people living on the reservation? Won't they discover what we are when they see that we don't age?"

Renesmee was the one to answer me next, "A year after I was born, the tribe elders decided it was best to reveal to their people that all of their legends were true after all. They explained our alliance and that we posed no threat. They've all come to an understanding of our kind: some are bad and others—like us, are good." She took my hand in hers and suddenly my vision was replaced by her memories.

_I—Renesmee was standing next to Jacob on the beach. She looked up at him with a smile. He was so tall that she must have been smaller at the time, probably no more than six years old physically at the time. He held her hand and lead her around town. _

_As they passed houses, mothers peered curiously through the curtains of their porch windows. Renesmee felt shy and intimidated by their glances. She frowned at Jacob, wanting to turn back. Tugging on his hand, she asked to go back towards the beach and disappear from prying eyes._

_Suddenly, the front door opened and a woman approached them from one of the houses. Renesmee tried to shrink behind Jake's tall form but he held her still. "Be polite, Renesmee" he urged, "Be brave."_

_The copper skinned woman stood no more than a few strides away from them now. As she got closer, Renesmee noticed that she held out a peculiar square dish wrapped with tinfoil. The strange woman bent down to my—Nessie's level and gave a tentative smile as she lifted one corner of the foil up to reveal homemade pot roast._

_Renesmee's demeanor changed from shy to joyful. She let go of Jacob's hand and embraced the woman._

I was brought back to the present, the vision ended, but only for a split second. Another memory came flooding into my mind:

_She was running in the street, but much older now. Renesmee was probably somewhere in her teens at the time. Children ran and giggled all around her. "I'm gonna get you!" I giggled as I scooped up a five year old boy. The toddler screamed in delight and announced "The vamp-wire got me!" Mothers laughed from their watching posts a few yards away. _

_At that moment, the clouds parted and the sun hit my—Renesmee's skin. It was far from the glittering diamonds that seemed to appear on the rest of the family's skin. Instead, her skin shone softly like a pearl. Beautiful pink and golden hues gleamed across the surface of her alabaster skin. The child's small hand reached up to touch her cheek "Pwetty. Pwetty vamp-wire."_

The memory ended as Renesmee let go of my hand. I blinked a few times, processing the information. She spoke up, "The people at the reservation accept us. It took a few weeks, months for others, but eventually they all came to understand. If we move closer to the rez in a few years, we can stay as long as we want!" she repeated Alice's earlier news.

I was ecstatic, positively thrilled. I had finally found a niche to belong to.

I had family.

I looked up at the group of vampires. "Thank you! Thank you so very much for everything. I—I can't even begin to explain just how grateful I am" I stuttered, trying desperately to grasp the right words to express my feelings.

"Your thoughts are all I need to know just how thankful you are," Edward stated with a smile.

"And feelings," Jasper added.

I laughed, realizing that if I could never find the exact words needed to explain how I felt, Edward's and Jasper's gifts would provide the family with insight.

"We can further decorate your room to your liking tomorrow if you want!" Esme announced to me. Before I had a chance to give my answer of thanks and more gratitude, she spoke again, "But now, I think a certain someone has something to ask you." She nodded her chin towards the front door.

I turned to see Embry working his way towards me through the crowd of vampires. The family ghosted silently out of his way as he approached.

"Embry" I stated.

"May" he replied, eyes shining with humor and a tinge of nervousness.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown, rectangular box. I looked down at it curiously and then back up at his anxious face with a small smirk. "What's this?" I asked slyly.

"Open it and I'll explain" he answered.

I cocked my head to the side and furrowed my brow as I lifted the lid. Inside, nestled atop of a folded up sheet of decorative tissue paper, laid a necklace. The thin, black, woven thread held a tiny ash colored wolf pendant carved from wood. Renesmee peered over my shoulder from her stance a few feet away. I heard her take in a small gasp as the saw the contents of the box.

"It's a very important necklace. It symbolizes quite a few things personally, but the main thing it represents as a Quileute is a promise. Jake made Nessie a woven bracelet and now, if you decide that you'll have me, this one will become yours" Embry explained. I looked over at Renesmee and saw her standing with Jacob, absently twirling a band with a wooden russet wolf charm around her wrist. A huge grin was on her face, along with everyone else in the room.

I looked up at Embry, astonished and awed. "You _made _this?" I breathed out. He nodded and continued. "You don't have to make a decision now, but after you hear the legends at the bonfire tonight…when you hear _everything _about the wolves…and imprinting, then you can decide if you want to stay or run away screaming" he said half jokingly.

"But what if I already know my choice? What if I like you and choose to see where this—we go with our feelings" I responded with a smile.

He bit his lip (quite adorably, I might add) and answered with a smirk, "You can wear it now and if you change your mind after tonight, you can return it. No hard feelings hurt."

"I'll wear it proudly, and I highly doubt anything I hear tonight will make me want to change my mind" I beamed. Embry took the box gently from my hand and motioned for me to turn around. I did what he asked and he brushed my hair aside, instantly sending tingles down my spine. He then clasped the necklace into place and I was surprised at how light, yet strong, the cord was. I turned back around to face him.

"Embry Call," I started, voice shining with humor and glee "does this mean we're officially dating?"

"May Miller, I think it does" he responded with a tone matching mine. He leaned his tall frame down and I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him for the second time ever. The kiss was soft and sweet and I put an arm around the back of his neck while his hands held my waist. Cheers erupted around the two of us and after a moment, we pulled away to find happy and proud glances aimed our way. The moment ended when Emmet wolf whistled and shouted "'Atta boy!" which earned him a swat on the arm by Rose.

I giggled and Embry took my hand in his while Alice spoke up, "You guys better get going or you'll be late!"

Renesmee, Jacob, Embry, and I said our goodbyes and headed out the door. Bella called out a warning that the roads were slick, as it had rained all day. She was already mothering me, and I was starting to like the idea of becoming a Cullen more and more.

**XXX**

Jacob and Nessie took his black Volvo while Embry and I went in his truck. We drove carefully, due to the slick roads, and arrived just after sunset. We were a little late to the party but nobody seemed to mind.

I was concerned about how the fire would be built with all the rain recently but Embry explained that Alice had seen it coming and called Billy Black and warned him to save the firewood from the moisture.

Embry then introduced me to a bunch of people before the bonfire started up. Everyone was getting food and as they ate and talked, we walked around and I met new people. Kim and Jared Cameron were a happily married couple with a newborn son. Paul and Rachel Lahote were a funny pair. The two seemed to be total opposites, yet they complemented each other perfectly. Ironically, Rachel was Jacob's older sister. Sam and Emily were the oldest, most adorable couple of the group. Emily was beautiful, even with her scars. She had such a sense of welcoming calm to her and I instantly liked her. Plus, she made most of the amazing food here. Anyone with cooking skills like her was a winner in my book.

All of the girls were ecstatic when their eyes landed on the smoky grey wolf pendant that nestled itself at the hollow of my throat. Apparently, they knew just what it meant and a few of them even had their own version of the 'promise chain'. They welcomed me with open arms and elated congratulations were given to Embry and I. Confused, but happy, I thanked them enthusiastically. They were acting like we had just announced an engagement or something! From time to time, Embry would murmur in my ear that the legends would explain the situation better to me.

As the fire was built, conversations settled down. Embry led me over to the circle encompassing the warm flames. Everyone was hushed as Billy Black started telling the tribe's history. I learned of the spirit warriors and how their people were connected with wolves. There was magic believed to be in their blood, passed down from generation to generation. I learned of the wise Taha Aki and how he saved his people from Utalpa, a power hungry spirit warrior. The spirit warriors thus changed into wolf shifters through Taha Aki's bloodline and went on to fight a new enemy: vampires. The Quileutes were a strong, courageous people that fought against the cold ones.

I was in complete awe of the legends. Embry sat behind me on a piece of driftwood while I sat on the smooth gravely beach, leaning against one of his legs. I had my own legs pulled up to my chest, chin resting on my knees while I marveled at the enchanting words coming from Billy Black. Occasionally, Embry would run his hands through my hair while I listened.

Just now, Billy moved from the story of the Cullen's treaty with Ephriam Black, to the tale of imprinting. I had heard this word used quite a lot lately, so my ears perked up even more at the mention of it.

Billy explained how a wolf can come to find its other half, the missing part of its spirit. When a shifter locks eyes with its other half, the world changes. The shifter is drawn to the individual, all time pauses and at the moment…it's just the two of them. The shifter will become anything that the imprint needs: a friend, a mentor, a lover…and in return, the imprint provides the shifter with the stability he may need to make its wolf the strongest, happiest, and fullest it can potentially be. They unlock the best in each other and are made to be together. Forever.

I thought the entire story to be the most romantic thing I had ever heard. The way two people completed each other was just so alluring and wonderful. I sighed, tired but happy that I came here tonight.

Billy concluded the legends and everyone around the circle cheered, clapped, and whistled. After the cheering settled down, Sam Uley stood up to announce something.

I looked over my shoulder at Embry questionably as Sam spoke, "My brothers, it has been an honor to run alongside you while we protected our people…but the time has finally come for me to put my spirit self to rest." I had heard that Sam was debating his 'retirement' from the pack, but I guess he hadn't informed the elders and the members of the community until now.

Murmurs erupted around the group and Billy had to take a moment to quiet them. Sam continued on in his strong, leading voice, "My Emily is pregnant with twins and it has made me realize that I would like to age with her. I want to be there to raise our future children, side by side. I can't leave her to die alone one day as I stand by unchanging. I must be with her until the end. I made my marriage vows and I would like to keep them. It would bring me much joy to live out my days with my beautiful wife by my side until we pass on. I must retire my position in the pack."

Voices muttered about converging the two packs back into one but that was quickly shot down by Billy. "The pack works best as two cohesive groups. They share the work evenly and leadership is at its strongest" he explained. More urgent whispers and discussions rose up. "But who will take your place?" someone cried to Sam.

"Paul Lahote?" another person suggested.

Paul stood up. "I can't for long. I have to follow Sam's example. I need to be there for Rachel as well. She's already older than me by a few years and I need to stop shifting before it's too late" he countered. I yawned as I tried to follow the heated conversation. What time was it now? It had to be half an hour before midnight by now.

"Then Jared perhaps?" It sounded like Sue who spoke next.

A hand gently took my elbow in its grasp. I looked over to discover Embry was getting up and helping me to stand with him. I stifled another yawn as he murmured in my ear, "I think it's time I take you home. You're completely exhausted and about to fall asleep right here. I don't think Bella and Edward would be too happy to hear if you were to pass out on this pile of rocks we call a beach." He chuckled and began to lead me away from the group, pausing to wave goodbye to Jake, Renesmee, Billy, and Sue.

Just as the truck was in sight I heard another faceless voice question, "What about Embry? Embry Call? Where did he go off to anyways?"

I glanced curiously up at Embry as he opened my door for me. He seemed not to hear—or pretended not to anyways. That was rather odd… we left just as the conversation seemed to start up. He excused it as me being tired, but I don't think that was the real reason he wanted to leave.

We drove in silence, heading back to the Cullen house—er, my house now. I desperately wanted to ask Embry if something was wrong, but I figured that if he wanted to tell me, he would when he was ready. Instead, I just watched as the dark trees rushed by. The air was cool and the full moon was out, illuminating the night. The soft _whooshing _of the tires against the damp pavement of the road filled my ears.

Embry turned the radio on at a low volume and I broke my gaze from the forest view to glance his way. He gave me a crooked smile and I made a face as I realized that the radio station was playing rap music.

"You don't like rap?" he joked.

I shook my head, "It's awful—sorry, if you like that kind of stuff."

He laughed, "No, I don't actually. Paul borrowed my truck this morning and he changed my radio." He began flipping through different stations while he asked me, "What kind of music do you normally listen to?"

I tapped my chin, "Well, the music I like isn't on the radio that often. I like Muse a lot."

He started chuckling and whipped out a CD from a compartment under the radio. "Then you, my friend, are in luck." He popped in the CD and Sunburn by Muse started playing softly in the background.

The corners of my mouth turned up into a smile, "You are an amazing person, you know that?"

He grinned, "I know." His eyes sparkled at the complement. "So what did you think about the legends?" he asked in a more serious tone.

I sighed dreamily, "I thought they were magical. I can't believe just how powerful they were."

"Really?" he bemused.

I nodded, "And that tale of imprinting. It was just so beautiful."

He turned his gaze from the road in front of us and opened his mouth to speak but stopped, furrowing his brows with nostrils flaring. "Do you smell that? It's sickeningly sweet, just like a vam—" but he was cut off by the truck jerking to a halt. Embry and I lurched forward and then slammed back into our seats at the force of the vehicle jolting to a complete stop from it's previous forty-three miles per hour.

I coughed, chest aching from the seatbelt digging into my skin. That was sure to leave a bruise later. I could still hear the motor running and Embry's foot was keeping its pressure on the gas pedal. I listened closely and heard the tires screeching dully on the asphalt as they continued to turn, yet the truck was unmoving.

Something was wrong.

Embry and I spun around to look out the back window of the truck and a gasp escaped my lips at the sight. The moonlight reflected off of the pure white skin of a vampire, who was currently holding the ledge of the truck bed. His pale fingers dig into the metal frame, freezing the vehicle in place despite the tires desperately seeking traction on the slick road.

Embry let out a terrifying snarl that sent shivers throughout my body but the vampire ignored him, his blood red eyes locked on me. I was frozen in shock. Did we stay in the cab of the truck, trapped…or get out to try to tackle the problem head on? A sickening grin snuck its way onto the stranger's face and dread began to form a pit in my stomach. What occurred next, happened so fast before Embry and I had any time to react:

The rogue tugged on the metal, pulling the entire truck backwards and closer to himself by a few inches. He then lifted the bed of the truck up, tilting Embry and I forward as the truck rested now only on its front wheels. I screamed and Embry pulled me close against his chest just as the lone vampire swung the truck up in a wide arc, throwing it into the mass of tall, luminous trees that made up the dark forest…with Embry and I trapped inside.

**AN- AHHHH! What a cliffhanger! I hope you're not too mad about the ending of this chapter ;)**

**Please leave a REVIEW! Oh, and Felix is almost here! Can I reach 60 reviews before he arrives? If you DO review, I'll PM you the first few paragraphs of the next chapter before uploading it! You can get a little sneak peak before everyone else! Sorry, guest reviewers, but I can't PM you without an account ):**


	17. Chapter 17

*****DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, yo. Except a cat, a few sweaters, oh and maybe the main character of this story perhaps?*****

**AN- Hey everyone! This chapter will be packed full with drama and action…and a pretty big bomb will be dropped on you, explaining some things that are crucial to my story. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 17**

I opened my eyes slowly, bracing myself for any pain. I couldn't see much due to the fact that my face was currently pressed into Embry's shirt. I tried to back up a bit to get a better view of my surroundings.

Gravity felt funny. I was being pulled towards my right. It took me a few moments to realize that the truck was tilted on it's side. Spatially speaking, Embry was up higher with him being seated on the left side of the truck, while I was below him because I was seated in the passenger seat. The only thing keeping me from falling down and hitting the door was my seatbelt.

Embry groaned and moved back, releasing me from his tight grip. I swayed slightly, resting in the sling of my seatbelt. Now that I had enough room, I could fully assess the situation.

The windshield was covered in cracks, creating a spider web pattern. All of the side windows were shattered at least partially. The ceiling had caved in and it made a slight wall that blocked Embry's head and most of the right side of his body from my view. A few other areas were dented in, creating sharp points of metal that looked rather hazardous. I smelled blood—Embry's woodsy scent filled the cab of the truck.

Embry was bleeding.

"Embry!" I cried, alarmed.

He ducked down around the wall that the ceiling made and I was finally able to see his face. I was never so happy to see that silly grin of his and that dimple in his chin before. He was alive and conscious!

"I'm fine, May. It's just a scratch."

I carefully unbuckled my seatbelt, bracing my legs against the frame of the truck so I wouldn't slam backwards into the door below me. I peered around the bent metal to find his right hand had a medium sized gash on it, already healing at a fast pace. I could only imagine how big it was moments ago. From the amount of blood soaking his shirt, I guessed it was pretty bad.

"Where on earth did that come from?" I asked.

He pointed to my left, just above my head. I glanced up slowly and my eyes grew as wide as saucers. A large shard of metal was caved in and pointing right at my skull, just inches away. Deep burgundy blood trickled from the tip. My heart broke at the realization.

Embry had most likely saved my life by holding the shredded metal back away from my head with his own hand. I may be half vampire, but that only gifted me with incredible strength and speed. My skin was hardly more durable than a humans.

Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and I leaned around what used to be the ceiling and gave Embry a grateful kiss. I pulled him as close as I could and fisted his shirt in my hands. With the movement, however, the truck bobbed and swayed. Metal creaked and groaned, protesting the movement. Tree branches cracked. Curious, I broke away from Embry and looked down out the shattered window below me.

The truck was stuck in a tree.

We were suspended three stories above the ground in a massive pine tree, in the middle of the dark forest. At night.

"Come on, we need to get out of here—and fast, before that psychopath returns" I urged. Embry agreed and we tried to unbuckle his seatbelt but the latch was jammed.

Embry grumbled, "Oh, come on you son of a bi—"

His curses were cut off as the truck lurched and the passenger door below me was ripped from its hinges. I screamed in alarm and glanced down to see that a completely different vampire was currently clutching onto the side of the tuck. Embry growled and started to shake, ready to phase.

Down thirty feet or so on the ground, awaited the vampire from earlier. He just grinned up at the three of us and suddenly, it clicked. These two vampires were working together!

The truck creaked and jolted, falling only a few feet as a branch supporting it had snapped. The car lurched as it snagged on a few more branches, stopping it's fall, but the abrupt movement had made me lose my grip. I slipped and fell closer to the opening of the truck below me.

"May!" Embry shouted and yanked desperately at the strap of his seatbelt, trying to break free. It tore easily due to his supernatural strength.

A cold hand grasped my ankle and tugged while I clung frantically to the seat I was happily sitting in just fifteen minutes earlier. I didn't want to be drained dry, left lifeless and dull. I cried out for help to the man above me, completely terrified, "Embry!" as tears poured down my face.

He was shoving the twisted metal out of his way, slicing open his own skin, urgent to reach me in time. His eyes were filled with a multitude of emotions: Rage, anger, and fire—but also fear, despair, and tears. I whimpered as my grip continued to slip. He wasn't going to reach me in time. We both knew it.

With one final tug on my ankle, I fell out of the cab of the truck just as Embry's fingers brushed against mine.

**Jacob's POV**

I sighed, tired of the conversation. Everyone around the bonfire was arguing over who should be pack leader and quite frankly, I was over it. I already knew who should take over for Sam…problem was, that certain person was having trouble convincing himself.

Embry was confused. From the time we ran together as wolves, I had heard enough of his thoughts to understand where the guy was coming from. A part of him yearned to be alpha, to lead our people. The other part of him was in pain, saddened by the memories it stirred up inside of him. He didn't want to know who his father was because he thought it was too late. Whoever it was had Embry's entire childhood to step forward and man up—but never did. He felt unwanted and sad as a child. Now as a full grown man, that sorrow had turned to bitter rage. Embry never knew who his father was, and becoming alpha might reveal it to him finally. There were only three options:

If he could voice the alpha command before officially being inducted as alpha, then we all would know that his veins contained the strong blood of Ephriam Black. His blood would be powerful enough to grant him the rank without needing to be accepted by other members of the pack. He could just take over as the true alpha.

On the other hand, if he had to wait to become the new alpha until his commanding voice could develop, then he was from the Uley line. This would be due to his relation to Sam, the previous alpha, and it would give him the position with ease, once he took the plunge and claimed the role. Embry's wolf would sense that his older brother was stepping down and then Embry would rise to fill the highest rank in the pack.

Lastly, if he had to struggle for control, to really push his wolf to assert his dominance over the other pack members…he was related to Old Quil Ateara.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as my beautiful Renesmee tugged on my arm. "I think we should head home. I don't feel right letting May and Embry head back all by themselves" her gentle voice rang.

I nodded in response. I too, felt a bit at unease ever since they left. I stood up, said my goodbyes to everyone, and headed back to the car.

During the drive home, I could tell that Nessie was growing more anxious. She was tapping her fingers against her knees, playing the keys of her mother's lullaby from memory without needing a piano in front of her. She only did this when she was extremely worried.

"Could you speed up a bit, please Jake? I'm getting scared" she pleaded. I don't know how she seemed to know something was wrong, but she was taking her intuition seriously, so I would too. I tried to respond that if I sped up any more, I would risk hydroplaning on the wet road, but my protest was cut short when I saw it…

I had almost missed it, but my eyes barely caught the sight in the dark of the night. Skid marks from tires had marked the road in front of us. Off to the side, dozens of trees were plowed down as if someone had decided to bowl and use the forest as the bowling pins.

I stopped the car abruptly and cursed under my breath as Nessie held a look of pure horror upon her delicate features.

I scrambled out of the car and gave Nessie instructions, "Stay in the car—in fact, drive home and DO. NOT. STOP. For any reason. Head straight home and then send your family to help. I need you to stay safe!"

Her eyes went wide and then narrowed into irritated slits. "Jacob Black! I need to save my best friend. My new sister! She needs my help and I'll be damned if I just turn the other direction and run away like a coward!" she urged.

I opened my mouth to protest but she just cut me off, "No! As your mate, your _imprint, _I ask this of you. Let me help."

I growled and rubbed my face, searching for a good comeback to her valid argument. "Fine," I muttered. "You can help. We'll face this together, okay?" She nodded her approval enthusiastically.

Hand in hand, we braced ourselves to face whatever unknown danger laid past the tree line. Together, we stepped into the darkness and let the night envelope us.

**May's POV**

I braced myself to hit the damp forest floor, but it never came. Instead, cold arms cupped the backs of my knees and cradled my neck. I opened my eyes and found bright red ones studying me carefully.

I thrashed in the person's grasp, my ears barely made out the muffled shouts above me as Embry attempted to literally tear his way out of his own truck.

The vampire holding me stroked my cheek, "Shh! Don't fret, little dove. It will only hurt for a second!"

The second vampire growled, "You said I could have her first!"

"I lied. She is mine. It is impossible to share her!" the other retorted with a sneer.

At that moment, a loud and earth shaking snarl ripped its way through the air, vibrating the trees in the forest. Yet, this wasn't any old roar from the two arguing vampires in front of me. This was from a wolf.

My wolf.

I turned and saw Embry's giant, silvery form stalking towards us. He had finally broken free from the confines of his truck and was now approaching. His large paws stomped into the damp, rain soaked earth and sent tiny specks of mud sloshing in all directions. His mouth opened menacingly wide, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth as an earth shattering roar escaped him.

He lunged.

The trees blurred as the vampire holding me had attempted to run. A millisecond later, my eyes caught up to the movement and clarified the haze as they were able to focus and sharpen their gaze. The other vampire was nowhere in sight, but his screams were soon heard as Embry tore him limb from limb just yards behind. An instant later, the vampire holding me went crashing to the ground and I went with him.

I skidded and rolled through the dark, damp brush—stopping by hitting a tree. The air was knocked from my lungs as my stomach hit the base of the tree trunk. I coughed, struggling for air and then abruptly gasped as my lungs regained their composure. Groaning, I rolled onto my back. I blinked, blood trickled into my eye and I moved to wipe it away, but found a raging vampire to be rushing towards me. His black hair flailed wildly as he rushed forward, red eyes blazing. My eyes widened in surprise just as my silver wolf's teeth locked around the vampires ankle.

A metallic screech sounded while the vampire screamed and was tossed into a boulder. He rose, leaning on his good leg since the other was now missing a foot. He roared in fury and anguish, charging at Embry. The wolf dodged a blow and circled its prey. In a flash, Embry ripped off an arm from the stone creature. The vampire moved to reach me, but Embry cut off his advance and growled in protest. Embry moved in for the kill.

I mentally sighed in relief as Embry seemed to be about to finish off the attacker. Soon, we would both be safe.

Then suddenly, the rogue's eyes turned an inky black as he caught the scent of fresh blood from my head wound. He bolted unexpectedly right under Embry's stomach and aimed a kick up into his ribs. I heard bones shatter and my heart went with it, breaking. Embry whined sharply in pain and fell in a heap upon the grass. He wobbled, staggering and trying to stand…only to fall back down as his bones were unable to support his frame. This was too much and now I found myself rushing into action.

I charged at the vampire and pushed my palms against its chest, tackling him to the ground. He regained the upper hand easily and rolled me onto my back, grinning mischievously.

"Now that your wolf is out of the way, it's just you and me now, girl" he taunted. He leaned his face down to reach my neck but I reacted quickly.

I didn't yet know if I had enough strength to decapitate him like the Cullens could, so I did the next best thing: I brought my left hand up to grasp his chin while my right hand cupped his cheek. To an outsider, I may appear to be holding him affectionately…but they would be wrong.

Quickly, before the vampire could act, my left hand gripped and stabilized while the fingers of my right hand dug into his skin. My fingernails ripped through the flesh and my hand entered his mouth by tearing a hole in the side of his cheek. I groaned as I used all my strength to grip his mandible in my left hand, and his upper jaw in my right. Cringing at the thought of what I was going to do next, I tugged until I tore his mouth open so wide that I hyper-extended the hinge of his jaw and broke it. The vampire began struggling blindly, fumbling for release to no avail. In one smooth move, I ripped the lower portion of his jaw clean off.

Now, he was physically unable to bite anyone.

He screamed in utter agony. It came out as a gurgled mess do to his lack of his entire bottom row of teeth. Weakened and now without an arm, foot, and a major portion of his face, he writhed in the grass. I bent over him and frowned in distaste. Using my fingernails to break the skin I found I could dismember him with less difficulty.

After he lay in a pile of ivory blocks, I rushed hurriedly to Embry's side. He lay in the brush—now human. He was covered in soggy leaves and debris…naked. I trembled in fear, crashing from the adrenaline high and the gory details of what I had just done began to hit me. Gathering my courage for Embry, I hooked my arms under his elbows and gently moved him into a more comfortable position. He groaned and cursed at the movement and I murmured a multitude of apologies.

Keeping my gaze away from his nakedness, I focused on his torso where most of the damage was. I brushed my fingers lightly over his heaving chest, his breathing was labored and shallow. He flinched slightly at my feather light touch at first, but eased into the contact after a second longer. I traced the patterns of his ribs and began deducing which ones were fine, broken, or in the process of healing. He grunted as I prodded a particularly tender spot and then screamed out a long stream of curses as I set it into place. Eventually, all of his ribs were checked and corrected before they could fuse improperly.

A thin sheen of sweat coated his form and the pale moonlight seemed to wash him out. I held his hand as he regained his strength. "I just need a few minutes. I heal fast," he urged. I nodded and smoothed his hair back and out of his eyes. Technically, we had only been dating for a few hours—yet, I already felt like losing Embry would be like ripping out a piece of my soul.

He noticed my frowning and squeezed my hand, "Hey."

I glanced down nervously into his amber eyes and he went on, "We're gonna be okay." I bit my lip and nodded anxiously. He sighed and attempted to lighten the mood a bit. "You know, I saved your life earlier…and now you just saved mine. We make a pretty good team, don't you think so?" I chuckled and nodded in response. He smiled and we continued talking for a few minutes while his bones healed.

Moments later, we heard a twig snap.

Embry and I turned towards the noise, muscles tense and ready to act. Suddenly, Jacob and Renesmee came bounding through the dark trees. I gasped in surprise and relief while Embry moved hurriedly to cover himself up.

"Jeez, Embry! What happened?" Jacob asked, trying to shield Renesmee's eyes.

Embry groaned, sitting up, "Vampire attack. We're okay now, though. Just a few cracked ribs. I think I'm almost healed by now—" he was cut off as I went crashing to the ground, a red eyed monster was looming over me. The vampire snarled and lunged, but was abruptly tackled by a reddish brown wolf, Jacob. Heart racing, I scrambled to my feet.

"May, go!" Embry shouted before exploding into his grey wolf form. Renesmee grabbed my hand, "C'mon! The house is a few miles this way!" I ran with her, wondering just how she knew the general direction of the house in a dense forest at night.

We flashed in between the trees, leaves and branches whipped against us. Water droplets that clung to the leaves from the rain earlier had brushed up against us, soaking our skin, but we didn't care. We hurried off, trying to reach the house and send reinforcements in time.

Unexpectedly, Renesmee's hand was ripped from mine as she was pinned down to the earth. A blond, burly vampire was her attacker. He looked over his shoulder at me and sniffed the air appreciatively. "Mine," he grumbled. He rose off oh her and made a move to approach me.

"You bastard!" Renesmee retorted and slapped him across the face before he could reach me. "Nobody hurts my new sister!" she retorted.

The vampire lifted a hand to touch his cheek, shocked to find long, deep gashes across the surface from Renesmee's nails. He growled and I acted fast before he could harm her. I dig my fingers into his forearm, ripping at his skin. He moved to push me off of him, but I dodged the assault. I tried to detach his arm but was shoved into a tree as he countered my move. He then pounced on Renesmee, she struggled and clawed at him feebly. She screamed in pain as her wrist was bitten, leaving crescent shaped marks on her skin.

I rose to my feet, ready to defend her, when Jacob's russet wolf suddenly ripped him from her. He snarled ferociously, angry that the vampire had attacked Renesmee.

"May! Run straight ahead and don't stop!" Renesmee commanded, clutching her injured wrist. I refused to leave and moved to help instead, but she spoke again, "Go get help. NOW!" she ordered.

Forcing my concern and worry to the back of my mind, I sprinted away into the general direction of the house, hearing distant roars and growling far behind me as Jacob battled the rogue.

I ran blindly, adrenaline once again coursing through my veins as my heart pumped wildly in my chest. I couldn't see that well in the dark compared to a full blooded vampire, the light from the moon helped, but running at my speed through the dimly lit forest was extremely risky.

As if to prove my point, my foot caught on a log and sent me tumbling. I went crashing through the dense underbrush and down a hill. Bushes ripped at my clothing while twigs swiped at my face and scratched my skin. Small, fluttering bugs flew away in fear as I burst trough the foliage. I rolled down the slope, cursing and grumbling. Finally, I came to a stop at the bottom of a valley. Behind me was the hill I just fell down and in front of me lay another uphill slanting incline.

Sitting up with a groan, I found myself to be covered in mud and leaves. I tried to dust myself off, sloshing in half an inch of watery muck. The rainwater must have pooled in this ravine when it stormed earlier. I glanced around, trying to find a way out of my predicament. Horror gripped me as I saw what lay all about:

A dozen dead bodies lay on the forest floor, pale and with wide open eyes unseeing.

I covered my mouth with my hand in order to stifle my scream of terror. A woman was sprawled out just a foot from me. Her face was upturned towards the night sky, appearing as if she were just stargazing. She didn't look to be dead long, most likely killed in the past hour. Who on earth could do this to all these people?

Rogues.

I growled, cursing their presence in this town. Confusion swept through me as I realized that these people weren't drained. Looking more closely, the woman near me only had her wrist slashed open, blood collecting in a small puddle—blood that had pooled around me. I moved my hand away from my mouth slowly, fear gripping me at the revelation. I looked down at my hand in shock, blood was on it from when I pushed myself into a sitting position from my fall…and blood had been transferred onto my face when I smothered my scream earlier.

Studying the crimson stain on my hand, my nostrils flared. Rich, velvety aroma wafted through my nostrils and my breathing became ragged, struggling in my bloodlust. I couldn't stop my tongue from moving to catch a drop that rested on my lips.

I felt my irises contract as my pupils dilated, letting in more light. The forest around me suddenly looked more clear as I could see better. My body was reacting to the blood, embracing the vampire half of me—adapting for the 'hunt'.

The scent of spilled blood wafted around me and before I knew it, the woman's arm was caught in my grasp. My mouth latched onto her wrist and I sucked greedily. My brain was wrapped around the enticing thought of feeding, reveling in the taste of the still lukewarm nectar. Yet, a small part in the back of my mind was freaking out in horror due to my actions.

My internal debate was cut short when a voice sounded near me, "I see you found my gifts."

I dropped the woman's arm from my grasp and spun around to find a tall, pale vampire with honey colored hair. He was lean, yet muscular with a straight nose and a strong jaw line. His burgundy eyes bored into my clear blue ones.

"I suppose they're a kind of offering. An attempt to appease you. I can now conclude that it worked," he said with a grin and a light chuckle.

What on earth was he talking about?

He saw my look of confusion and elaborated, "I thought I could draw you out with a little blood shed. Eating filthy human food and sub par woodland animals must get dull. I picked out only the most alluring of scents from the town. Snapped their necks quickly and with ease."

I spoke up, annoyed, "So you figured you could trap yourself one meal, by killing a handful of other people? Why not just stop at killing one person from town and be happy with the meal you got? After all, you just want my blood and then you'll leave" I spat out angrily.

He looked shocked, "You don't know?"

"Know what?" I asked, dumbfounded.

He smirked mischievously, "Oh! This will be great." In the blink of an eye, he pounced on me. I regained my composure and tried to pull the same move I used earlier to rip off his jaw, but I was stopped when both of my wrists were clasped into his right hand. This vampire was quicker and smarter than the last few.

He hovered above me while I was laid out on the damp ground. "Indeed, I will drain all of the blood from your body. In fact, I look forward to tasting it—but that is not the only goal here. Once drained, you wont die. An unmated male vampire's venom will change you into the most powerful of vampires, and I intend for the venom to be mine. You will belong to me. _Mine_. My mate," he purred while caressing my face lovingly…

**AN- Ahhh! The big reveal! If it's a bit confusing, don't worry. Things will be explained better in later chapters. Feel free to review or PM me if you have questions! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this chapter as much as I did :D**


	18. Chapter 18

*****DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all but the plot and main character, May Miller*****

**AN- Whoo! Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows. Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 18**

_He hovered above me while I was laid out on the damp ground. "Indeed, I will drain all of the blood from your body. In fact, I look forward to tasting it—but that is not the only goal here. Once drained, you wont die. An unmated male vampire's venom will change you into the most powerful of vampires, and I intend for the venom to be mine. You will belong to me. Mine. My mate," he purred while caressing my face lovingly…_

I winced and flinched back at the vampires touch. His hand trailed from my cheek, down my throat, and along my collarbone. His touch was soft as it ghosted across the thin, slightly translucent membrane of my skin—barely tickling. I became disgusted at the contact, wishing it was Embry's warmth that graced me instead. I kicked my legs into the damp earth, flailing for freedom. Behind the figure above me, the night sky was the backdrop to my demise. The stars twinkled in a variety of colors and the tall evergreen trees framed them. The evening would have been beautiful if I wasn't about to get the life sucked out of me.

Struggling desperately, I tried to break free as his hand grasped my chin and tilted my head backwards to reveal my neck. My wrists ached as the flesh became irritated due to my attempts at escaping, his hold was strong on them. I glared my hatred his way but he ignored it.

"The Renard coven thought they could claim you and your powers when they sent their scouts—which I saw you and your wolf take down, by the way. I studied your moves and anticipated them perfectly. All I had to do was wait patiently and snare you in a trap." He pressed kisses along my shoulder, ignoring my uncomfortable flinches at his touch. I tried to squirm from his grasp. "So delicious," he mumbled as his nose skimmed over my carotid artery. I saw his mouth open and he leaned towards my throat before I closed my eyes, not wishing to see my end when it came. I was helpless and rendered unable to move from his clutches.

In my mind, I said goodbye to Embry and the Cullens. Maybe this vampire was telling the truth and I wouldn't die…but I wouldn't be quite the same either. Both options didn't look too great at the moment.

The creep's teeth grazed my skin and I whimpered in terror. He applied a bit of pressure, but suddenly a roar sounded a few yards away. At the exact moment that my attacker was about to bite down and break the thin membrane of my skin, he was dragged backwards—yet, that didn't stop the rogue from trying. While the rogue was being pulled away from me, his teeth desperately searched for my neck. They found their solace by grappling at the hollow by the base of my throat. His teeth latched onto my left collar bone, crushing it.

I shrieked at the sharp pain. Growling sounded around me as the vampire and my savior battled. I writhed in the damp grass, screaming while my shoulder burned intensely as my pain receptors frantically fired off signals of injury to my brain. Not only did the broken bone and skin hurt, but now an icy cold sting was crawling along the area. I clutched my shoulder and bawled as pain overwhelmed me.

Metallic screeching echoed through the trees as the rogue was dismembered. Then…silence. Crickets chirped softly all around me and I found the moment to be safe. I cracked open my eyes, squinting through the pain in the darkness and searching for Embry or Jacob—whichever it was that had come to my rescue.

I found neither.

Twigs snapped and the dead leaves coating the forest floor crunched under my savior's feet. The person in question approached and I soon locked eyes with him.

A tall, serious looking vampire loomed over me. "A damsel in distress?" he mused slyly, his voice sounded like a cool breeze rustling through the dry branches of winter. With my chest heaving for breath, I studied him cautiously. His hair was a dark chocolate, similar to my own, and it appeared to be windblown perfectly. Burgundy eyes searched my face with an intensity that had me shying away from his gaze. He was most likely here to finish off the job and claim my blood as his own.

So you can imagine my surprise when he stated in a cool, level voice, "Let's get you home now, May."

The stranger bent down and moved to grab me, but stopped when I snarled and bared my teeth at him. He pulled back and held both of his hands up in mock surrender. Laughing softly, he mused, "Just like a wounded animal. They always fight back, despite their disability. You always were stubborn." Turning more serious, he stated slowly, "Do you want to keep bleeding here in the mud and leaves or do you want me to take you to your people?"

Wary, I assessed him. He seemed to speak truthfully and he also seemed to know me. I stopped my growling and he stooped down, scooping me gently into his arms. I cried out at the movement, still clutching my shoulder. Blood pooled from the wound and ran in between my fingers. The vampire held his breath, keeping the scent of my blood from driving him mad. Confusion dominated my thoughts. He knew my name. Did I know him? I searched my memories, coming up with nothing but a small sense of familiarity. Who was he?

The mystery man sped off into the night. Could I really trust him? I wouldn't be surprised if he was whisking me away to his lair. I could only hope that someone would come rescue me before it was too late. Yet, there was a part of me that felt I could trust him to take me home safely.

As the moments passed, the woods became more known in my eyes and I recognized where we were. He was taking me towards the Cullen house! Moments ago, the site of injury on my shoulder had begun to burn with a shocking icy pain. Now, the cold grip had slowly—but surely spread. My sobbing had been reduced to soft whimpers as the pain was doused slightly by endorphins and more adrenaline. Despite this, my veins began to feel like they were carrying ice water instead of warm blood. My muscles ached at the cold feeling and I knew something was very wrong with my body.

The mystery vampire stopped running a few miles from the Cullen property line. "I'm going to have to drop you off here. Don't worry, they'll find you," he stated simply. He stooped down and laid me gently onto the crunchy, dying foliage of the forest. I forced my lips to move and form a question, "Who are you?"

He smiled down at me softly, "An old friend. Goodbye for now."

I tried to speak again but he was gone in a flash. "Thank you," my response came as a soft whisper. I tried to stand up but my muscles protested the movement. Instead, I settled for an awkward sitting position with a bit of work. The cold sting had spread to my chest and arms by now. Wherever the icy feeling was, my muscles in that area protested any movement—no matter how hard I tried to make myself stir. It was almost as if my muscles were frozen. My upper torso and biceps felt limp and unregistered my brain's pleas for activity.

I heard shuffling in the brush to my right and a sandy colored wolf appeared through the trees. _Seth! _He bounded to my side and let out a long howl into the night, most likely alerting the other wolves to my safety. His warm, wolfy nose prodded my forehead and he licked my face. I let out a hoarse chuckle and tried with extreme effort to stroke his muzzle. "Hey there, Seth. You found me," I croaked.

The leaves rustled and twigs snapped as a second wolf sped into the area. A flash of silver and deep charcoal told me that it was Embry. He rushed to my side instantly.

He sniffed my bleeding shoulder and growled lowly. Seth's shaggy wolf darted into the trees, leaving us. Embry whined and tried to get me to stand, but I was unable to with my weak limbs. "I think I'm experiencing a bit of paralysis," I tried to joke and lighten the mood. My arms buckled and I fell out of my sitting position. Before I could fall in a heap onto the forest floor, warm arms caught me.

"I have you, May. I've got you," Embry soothed as he stroked my hair. Seth returned with a black t-shirt hanging from his mouth. I figured it was most likely stashed into a hollow log by a pack member for emergencies. Embry grabbed it, murmuring a quick 'thank you, Seth' and ripped the cloth into long, thick strips. He carefully propped me up in his lap and brushed my hair and the woven necklace he had made for me (which was most likely soaked with my blood) aside. He then began to bind my wound, wrapping the fabric around my arm and chest. I bit my lip to stifle my groans as Embry controlled my bleeding shoulder.

When he was finished, he held me against his chest and rose into a standing position. Despite the seriousness of the situation, my mind wandered and realized, '_Embry is naked…and holding me in his arms.' _I blushed furiously at the thought and tried to refocus on cradling my hurt shoulder.

Seth followed behind us closely, keeping watch for any other threats tonight. With Embry carrying me bridal-style, the three of us made our way back to the house.

**XXX**

The instant Embry's foot stepped onto Cullen property, a handful of Cullens flashed toward us. Jasper, Emmet, Carlisle, and Edward appeared and began talking hurriedly.

I focused on Jasper's voice, "Alice caught it too late. We were about to leave the house to help, but suddenly Nessie and Jacob burst through the front door at that point. That was barely five minutes ago and we tried to come find you as soon as we could." Renesmee and Jacob were safe inside already? I sighed in relief.

Edward spoke up next with a growl, "Embry, I believe that you are currently carrying my new daughter without a scrap of clothing to cover yourself with. Hand her over to me now, please." He gritted out the words with a fair amount of difficulty.

I strained the now protesting muscles of my neck in order to glance up into Embry's eyes as he reluctantly transferred me to Edward's waiting arms. Embry then ran off into the forest, naked as the day he was born, to search for spare clothes to change into. The movement to Edward's grasp had jostled my injured shoulder and I yelled out in pain.

Carlisle flitted closer to me instantly and his cool fingers brushed over the wound. "Her left clavicle is completely shattered and she has lost a significant amount of blood. She'll live, but the injury will require stitches. The clavicle will have to rely on time to regenerate," he explained sadly.

I groaned and cried out as shock wore off and the wound began to ache with such an intensity that it had me biting my lip until I tasted blood. Embry reappeared out of the forest, now wearing a pair of black shorts. He held his arms out expectantly, waiting for Edward to put me back in his embrace. Edward shook his head, refusing, but Embry retorted simply, "She's my imprint."

Edward sighed reluctantly and shifted me into Embry's grasp, more careful this time in order to prevent bumping my shoulder. _I_ was _Embry's_ imprint? I had just learned about imprinting at the bonfire almost an hour ago. I blinked my eyes rapidly and furrowed my brow, grasping the thought.

Before I had a chance to ask Embry any questions about our _imprinting _situation, everyone was heading inside. Embry followed Carlisle and Edward upstairs into a guest bedroom that stocked some medical supplies. In the middle of the room was a plain, queen sized bed on which Renesmee lay motionless, staring wide eyed and unmoving. Jacob stood by the bed while Bella sat at her side and held her hand, appearing extremely worried.

Panic rose in my chest and Edward heard this in my thoughts. "Nessie can't move. She was bitten on her wrist," he stated simply as if that was all the explanation I needed, yet leaving me confused.

Bella rose up off the bed at that moment and flitted to Embry's side. "Is she okay? She's covered in dirt…Oh my God! She's bleeding!" she exclaimed, noticing the makeshift bandages on my body.

Edward cupped her hands in his and explained my situation while Embry laid me on the bed carefully next to Nessie. I looked at her closely and noticed the bandage around her wrist. Carlisle must have treated her beforehand. Out of nowhere, I saw her blink. _She could blink! _I was never so happy to see her move the slightest amount. I studied her further and saw the steady rising and falling of her chest as she breathed. I tried to grab her hand in mine, but found that I was now unable to rouse any of my limbs at all. I _could, _however, turn my head. I did just so in order to speak to Embry properly.

"So, I'm your imprint?" I raised an eyebrow. He sighed and nodded simply in response. "What exactly does this entail? How exactly did that happen? What does that mean for us?" I prodded.

"I can explain everything later. Now isn't exactly the time to try to clarify things on that matter. We kind of need to focus on what happened to Nessie and you with the rogues," he stated kindly. Abruptly his face appeared worried. "Would this information change your feelings about us, though?"

I thought of everything that had occurred between the two of us in the last four weeks together. From the beginning, Embry had always seemed like a kind and caring person. Even if he _had _involuntarily been tied to me by some predetermined destiny, that destiny didn't seem to be the cause of his feelings for me—nor mine for him. I had felt a pull towards him as his imprintee, but my love for his compassionate nature was all real. I knew that what was between us was true and pure. Imprinting had just been the spark to start the fire as it burned off of genuine, raw emotion. Today marked the start of our relationship as a couple and I would look forward to what was to come.

I shook my head and smiled, "No. It wouldn't change my feelings for you at all." Embry let out a breath that he had been holding in and smiled down at me, brushing a hand over my cheek softly.

Alice rushed into the room, followed by Jasper, Emmet, Rosalie, and Esme. Alice's voice became higher in pitch with worry and she sounded flustered, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see it until it was too late! It's like they made the decision to attack at the last minute."

Jasper spoke next, his southern drawl was more prominent in his stress, "Don't worry Darlin'. This has happened before. Victoria did this when she tried to get to Bella." He rubbed his wife's arm and attempted to soothe her.

Emmet's booming voice shook the room, "Whoa! Nessie's gonna have a bite mark to match her mom's!" He turned his attention to me next, "That's gonna leave a pretty cool battle scar, May! I also heard from Brady, who was informed from Jake—who was then filled in from Embry here…that you took down a rogue all by your self! Ripped his jaw clean off, apparently!"

Bella's and Edward's heads snapped in my direction in an instant. "You did what?!" they both exclaimed. Jasper looked pleased and exclaimed, "Good girl. I knew that move would come in handy."

Then, the entire room erupted into chaos as everyone seemed to speak at once. Rosalie smacked her husband's arm and scolded him while Jasper and Alice were talking animatedly. Esme was flashing around the room, gathering medical supplies for Carlisle and placing them onto the bedside table next to my head. Carlisle himself was seated in a chair by my side and started to remove my bandages carefully while muttering further directions to Esme. My worried eyes found Embry's as he stood behind Carlisle. His gaze searched mine and he stepped forward to take my hand in his. His voice was the only one to reach my ears, despite the growing hum of busy conversation that filled the room. "It's okay, May. I'm here." I longed to ask him all of the questions that swam through my head at the moment. I tore my gaze from his to look at Renesmee beside me. Was she Jacob's imprint? I wouldn't doubt it by the way he was currently caressing her cheek. Wait—was he brushing tears off of her face?

Out of nowhere, Edwards voice shouted out, "QUIET!" The room stilled as every vampire in the room froze like perfectly chiseled statues. He sighed, "I'm sorry, but all this yelling is starting to stress out Renesmee and it isn't helping May's situation either." So Renesmee _was _crying just a second ago. Our current situation must be even more frightening for her, as she was almost completely unable to move. She couldn't even speak! She must have so many questions to ask. Meanwhile, her entire family was involved in heated discussion— up until now when Edward had shushed the entire room.

"Everyone besides Carlisle, Bella, and I…please leave the room. We need to focus on treating Nessie and May, then perhaps answer their questions and they can in turn fill us in on our own inquiries. Too many people in the room certainly wont help." The other vampires nodded their heads solemnly and began to disperse themselves throughout other areas in the large house. Jacob stood by Renesmee's side and Embry continued to hold onto my hand.

"Embry…Jacob?" Edward prodded.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't leave her—not now." Embry stated in a cool, level tone all the while refusing to even take his eyes off of my worried face. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Jacob nodding his head in agreement and running his fingers through Renesmee's bronze locks.

Edward sighed and grumbled out a simple response, "Fine." Then he and Bella resigned themselves to leaning up against the far wall in the room across from the foot of the bed. Carlisle continued his work as he sat in the chair by my side. "I'm going to give you some painkillers for now. Hopefully they'll kick in shortly." Soon, the bandages were long gone and now he grabbed a sponge and water bottle from his pile of supplies that Esme had laid out on the bedside table earlier. He poured a small amount of water onto the sponge and dabbed it onto my shoulder. I hissed at the touch as he cleaned the dirt and debris.

"So, any burning questions you'd like to ask?" Carlisle offered.

With an exuberant amount of force and energy, I could move my lips enough to slur out a sentence. "How does this…_happen_?" I breathed out slowly. Just how do two half vampires become paralyzed?

He continued cleaning my injury carefully and spoke, "We called Nahuel the second Jacob brought Nessie inside. Jacob was panicked, screaming how she was hardly able to move. That was when Rosalie and Emmet phoned Nahuel's cabin and asked him if he knew what was happening. Apparently, since females of your kind are non venomous, you react to vampire venom abnormally. The venom tries to travel through your blood and attack your tissues to change it—much like any other transition into a vampire. However, females like you and Nessie have a way to combat the venom. Your blood destroys it and the process produces a toxin-like byproduct that causes major muscle paralysis. This toxin creates the cold, burning sensation you must be feeling right now."

Worry washed through me as I pondered just how far this stage of being frozen would go. Would I still be able to blink in a few minutes? Not to mention, total paralysis would be fatal if I couldn't even move my diaphragm enough to breathe. Renesmee's condition was far more advanced than mine, as she was bitten before I was. Yet, she could still breathe and blink. I wondered how long that would last or if her health would soon start to decline…and then I would follow suit.

"You and Renesmee seem to have the same concerning thoughts. Go ahead and ask Carlisle, May" Edward stated from his stance across the room. I cleared my throat, readying to ask my question, but my thoughts were stolen away as Carlisle poured a brown solution over my wound. The liquid stung slightly and I grunted, biting my lip.

"I need to stitch your wound shut. This is going to hurt a bit, just try to focus on something else. I will answer any questions you may have, if that helps" Carlisle offered. I attempted a nod and he began to thread a sterilized needle. While he worked, I attempted to voice my thoughts. The waves of pain and icy chill in my veins made it rather difficult to speak clearly and my chest heaved in effort, "The…paralysis. Will it stop my heart? My… diaphragm? Will breathing…become difficult? Even blinking?"

Carlisle leaned over me and started the first suture. If I could move at that moment, I'm pretty sure I would have broken Embry's fingers in my grip. Instead, his hand in mine provided comfort as his thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand. Carlisle began speaking in a low, calm tone "Concluding from Renesmee's advanced condition, since she was bitten well before you were, and from Nahuel's information… smooth muscle control and involuntary contractions—such as heartbeat, breathing, and blinking will all be unaffected. You will just be unable to _voluntarily _move any part of your body. I can now deduce that your speaking is already becoming heavily effected. If you have any further questions, I suppose that Edward could help."

I tried to voice my agreement but found it to be rather difficult. I swallowed the uncomfortable lump in my throat and gave up trying to speak. Instead, I just sent my thoughts Edward's way in hopes that he could speak for me. "May agrees, and I suppose that is what we will have to resort to for now. Any other questions, May?" Edward said.

_Not really, thank you_, I told him. He nodded and gave me a small smile. He then turned his attention to Renesmee, "Nessie? Do you have any questions?" he offered and a pause of silence followed. "I see. Rosalie and Emmet can go retrieve the vehicles from the forest. I'm sure there isn't a thing our blonde mechanic can't fix. Right now, you should just try to rest" Edward mused. I had almost forgotten about Embry's truck. I had figured that it was totaled. It seems that Rosalie knows how to fix automobiles, surprisingly.

Carlisle finished the sutures and wrapped my shoulder in a clean bandage. He stood up from the chair and nodded at Embry, who then pulled the seat up closer to my side of the bed and sat down. Embry held my hand in both of his. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I should have been there, but more vampires just kept appearing out of nowhere. I didn't know what to do," his voice broke.

Moving my eyes was becoming increasingly more difficult as the toxin was spreading its icy cold grip on my body to my face. My thoughts pleaded with Edward to help me out a bit so that I could see Embry better.

_A little help here, please? _I asked Edward. He complied and stepped forward, grasping my chin softly and tilting my head towards Embry. My gaze then landed on his left shoulder. Edward gripped the back of Embry's chair and scooted it a few inches to the side so that, finally, my eyes found his tan, worried face. Edward spoke for me as I thought of what to say.

"May says that it is okay, Embry. There were five vampires and only you and Jacob were phased at the time. You had your work cut out for you," Edward explained for me.

Embry looked confused, "I thought that we only took down four vampires? There was the first two by my truck—one of which, you dismembered all by yourself," he smiled down at me with a proud look. Edward and Bella appeared unnerved, but Embry pressed onward, "The third attacked you right after Jake and Ness found us, and the fourth rogue was stopped by Jacob. Who was the fifth?"

I mentally slapped myself for almost forgotting this major detail! I had so many questions to ask the Cullens about the information I had learned from the fifth rogue. Edward heard my internal ramblings and raised an eyebrow in question (at least I think he did. He was rather blurry since he was standing on the edge of my vision and I was currently unable to move my eyes).

I started to show Edward my memories of the last rogue with the cropped golden hair. I remembered how he easily tackled me and expected my moves and countered them without difficulty. The stranger then went on to explain that the first four attackers were more scouts sent by the Fox-Renard, coven. The rogue then went through his plan, but I skipped over that part in order to get to the moment I was saved. My rescuer was tall and somber with dark hair. Apparently, he also knew me.

"Felix," Edward announced.

I would probably be frowning in slight confusion if I could move my face right now. Who on earth was Felix?

Edward elaborated for me, "He's a member of the Volturi guard and is currently their best fighter. Felix is actually one of Aro's favorites—besides Jane and Alec, of course. What is odd is the fact that he knows who you are, yet you have no memory of him." He turned to Carlisle next, "This doesn't make any sense. What is he doing here in Forks and why was he present during May's attack?"

"Perhaps he was sent ahead of the others as a scout?" Carlisle offered in his cool, relaxed tone.

Embry continued to rub his thumb in circles over the back of my hand and spoke up, "He saved May. He could have just easily left her to face a terrible fate, but instead chose to step in. There's got to be _some _reason for that."

Carlisle checked Renesmee's bandaged wrist and continued to explain his thoughts, "That _is _perplexing. I wonder if the Volturi caught word that May, specifically, is here in Forks from the Renard-Fox coven—whom sent Arnaud last week. When Arnaud didn't return, it could have affirmed May's location to them. Aro could have heard this news from his extensive contacts and sent Felix to solidify his suspicions. Aro may have a reason to keep track of where May is—after all, she is one of very few vampire-human hybrids. The Volturi might just be keeping tabs on all of you half breeds. It would also have upset Aro if he heard that a rarity like May was killed because she ran away from Europe when the Volturi was too busy to keep an eye on her. Aro may have 'babysitters' for all of you hybrids—May, Renesmee, Nahuel and his siblings. Besides that, I cannot find any other plausible reason for Felix's arrival and why he would have saved May."

These ideas did seem rather likely. I've heard from Jasper before that Aro likes to collect vampires with unusual gifts. It wouldn't surprise me if he watched all of the known hybrids for signs of unique powers that he could find helpful. Problem was, I had no gift.

Edward nodded and pondered the points that Carlisle stated. He looked back to me suddenly, remembering a thought. "May, what did you skip over earlier? What did the last rogue say to you?"

I backtracked my memories and tried to remember, in as much detail as possible, what the final vampire had said. Showing Edward my thoughts, I remembered the rogue explain to me some odd theory that I wouldn't die if a vampire drained me dry—instead, I would supposedly change into a powerful vampire and automatically become the mate of whichever male vampire had changed me. The whole thing sounded like a total joke to me.

Apparently, Edward didn't find it to be a joke. He growled and muttered something to Carlisle at a speed that my ears could barely catch. Hearing Edward's information, the doctor shifted his stance uncomfortably. Edward rubbed his forehead and grumbled incoherently. Don't tell me that these two vampires were fidgeting?!

This was bad.

Vampires never fidget.

Embry looked from me, to Edward, then to Carlisle, and finally back at my unmoving form. His eyes remained on my face, yet it was to Edward that he spoke, "What do you mean by 'it all makes sense'?"

Edward? What is going on?

The vampire in question sat at the foot of the bed and sighed, "May, the final vision that Alice had the day Arnaud scouted out forks and Nahuel arrived—the vision we were all hiding from you, Nessie and the wolf packs…it was you. Alice saw you lying in a field. You appeared to be _dead. _Abruptly, the vision shifted and you had bright crimson eyes and a temper that matched a newborn's. Then it ended. That was all…"

My eyelids involuntarily blinked and I felt my heart rate speed up. Anxiety coursed through my frozen veins.

Embry still appeared confused, not quite filled in on everything yet. Carlisle spoke up next, voicing his opinion on the matter. "It _would _make sense: during the eighth year, a female vampire-human hybrid would go through a phase where her blood allures non-mated male vampires. Naturally, because she had just reached maturity and stopped aging, her hormones would make her blood extremely potent and desirable to males" he paused, glancing around the room to make sure that Embry, Jacob, and Edward were following what he was saying. He then continued, "Because females of May and Nessie's kind are non venomous and their blood has properties to combat vampire venom, they would have to be drained dry in order for the venom to have any chance to change the individual into a full vampire."

Edward chose this moment to jump back in the conversation, "To be clear, the vampire that attacked May last had stated that after he drained her and turned her into a vampire, she would then possess unimaginable powers and be tied to him as his mate—since it was his venom that changed her, after all. Do you think that this means all of the rogue scouts have come to change May and claim her as a powerful coven member?"

A look of distaste flashed over Embry's face as he heard this. He then appeared incredulous and slightly outraged. So Embry _didn't _know this information? I guess Alice really hadn't told him much. Embry had told me on the morning we made French toast together, that Alice had explained a few key pieces of information to him the night Nahuel arrived. I wondered what these important snippets were—they didn't seem to deal with what was going on now though, since Embry was so unhappy with these revelations.

Embry was currently very unhappy to learn that single, male vampires were trying to change me. He sat up from the chair by my side and his voice was slightly raised, "_No, _that doesn't make sense! How would that not kill May? She'd have no blood to keep her alive! Not to mention, without her blood pumping through her veins, how would the venom travel throughout her body to change her? There is almost no promise, besides a vague vision from Alice—no offense" a slight _humph _from the tiny vampire sounded from downstairs. Embry pressed onwards with a broken tone, "There is no guarantee that May could live through that!"

Silence struck the room.

Jacob spoke up for, what seemed to be, the first time in the entire situation. "It doesn't make much sense to me either. How do we know this isn't some lie that particular vampire made up? And if he didn't make up this myth—who did? It must be circulating around all of Europe by now in order for some French coven to send that first scout last week…and now Felix just so happens to show up as well? The Volturi isn't happy, myth or not. It's causing a commotion. I'm just happy that Renesmee had a chance to grow out of that year of Hell before the supernatural world caught on to this rumor. _She _is spared, but right now May isn't."

Jacob and Embry shared a deep look at each other. The two of them were close, pack brothers, and cared so much about each other that Jacob seemed to worry about my safety—being that I was Embry's imprint. Gratitude flowed through me and my respect for the alpha grew.

Carlisle cleared his throat, "Yes, we are lucky that Nessie had luck on her side and turned nine recently. It seems that she barely made it through in time before these rumors began to spread from coven to coven. We may not know for sure if it is just a myth or if there is some truth to this situation, but we can try to do our but to keep May safe until she reaches her ninth birthday—which is?" he trailed off, asking me the question.

I thought of my response and Edward announced it, "She doesn't know. Her uncle was forbidden by Aro to tell her the exact date. She estimates it to be the summer after Nessie was born. Since it is late October now, we have a window of about seven to ten months approximately. Then, May will be safe as her blood becomes normal."

Jacob piped up, "So after May turns nine…her blood stops calling out to bachelor vampires, right?"

Carlisle nodded and Jacob continued, "What happens after that? Will she still become a full vampire—supposedly, if she happens to be drained when she is older? Would it happen to Renesmee if she was drained right now?"

Silence.

"Um, that's actually a good question" Embry stated.

Carlisle frowned, "I don't think we currently have the answer for that. Let's just hope that we know more about this situation than the Volturi does. Right now, we might just be ahead of the game." Turning to Renesmee and I, he murmured, "Why don't you two get some rest? You've had a long day and need to get your strength back. If you need anything, just page Edward" he smiled and tapped his temple.

With a lot of work, Carlisle and Edward shooed Embry and Jacob out of the room. Edward returned with Bella, who kissed Renesmee's forehead and then mine as well. She laid a knitted blanket over our frozen forms and Edward turned off the lights.

As the house quieted, I couldn't help but wonder one burning thought in my mind: Just who was it that created this rumor that had spread across the globe, sending vampires our way?

**AN- This chapter was probably the most difficult to write so far (which is why it took so many weeks to write). There was a lot of information to think about that I had to clue you guys in on. PLEASE let me know if something doesn't make sense! Give me your thoughts on the chapter!**

**REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE!**


	19. Chapter 19

***DISCLAIMER: I only own May Miller, nothing else!***

**Chapter 19**

The night passed by slowly. Time was sluggish and dragged onwards ruthlessly. The clock on the wall ticked loudly in my eardrums as the hands kept their incessant movements.

I had yet to fall asleep because worry kept me awake. Unlike myself, Renesmee slept soundly next to me. I could currently hear her slow and steady breathing softly to my left. Bella and Edward would check in on us every so often—usually questioning why I was still awake and not resting. My answer would be a thought sent to Edward, explaining that I just couldn't manage to stop the wheels in my brain from turning.

Many questions swam through my thoughts. Who started this rumor? Was it true? Would I really turn into a vampire and not die if I was drained? Would Renesmee turn into a vampire if she just so happened to become a vampire's meal as well—even if she was nine years old? And who was Felix to me? How on earth did he know who I was? I searched my memories and, each time, came up with nothing. Frustration gripped me. Growling internally, I mentally slapped myself. It shouldn't be that hard to remember someone! _Who was he?_

After hours of exhausting thoughts swimming through my mind, Carlisle came in and gave me a light sedative. He murmured that I needed to rest and heal myself. My body would have to regenerate an entirely new bone since my clavicle was practically shattered into shards and particles. Note to self: a bloodthirsty vampire's jaws could really do a number on bone tissue.

Finally, minutes after Carlisle left the room, sleep claimed me.

I went gratefully.

**XXX**

The same dream that plagued me days ago at Embry's returned for me with a vengeance. This time, the dream held more detail…

_I was hunting._

_I prowled the same forest for my kill. My surroundings were dark and I could make out that it was clearly nighttime. The forest shone silver under the moon's pale glow. The cool breeze was pleasant on my skin, swirling around me lightly._

_The wind brought with it the most delicious scent. The air about was sweet and the aroma was one that had my mouth watering. This time, I could place the notes of the fragrance. Musky and saccharine sugar filled my nostrils. I followed it, stalking my prey, until I came to a clearing in the woods. The space was more detailed in my mind this second time. The field was open and bare with only a soft layer of dewy grass to cushion it. My eyes scanned the area quickly, searching for the source of the enthralling scent. Finally, my eyes caught a deer in the center of the clearing—no, it wasn't just any old deer. It was a buck._

_A beautiful snow white stag._

_The stag from before._

_The same sense of rush filled me. Time had ran out. I needed to hurry. I needed to feed! I burst forward out of my hiding place at the edge of the tree line. I pounced and sunk my teeth into its soft, pale neck. The taste was like an explosion of colors and tones filling my senses. Sweet and salty. Sharp and velvety. Opposites that should have clashed—mixed perfectly instead._

_Satisfied and satiated, I dropped the head. Antlers clanked against the ground and the head lolled to the side. Those dark, blank eyes looked up at the sky. Blood from the wound stained the small area where my mouth was previously at its neck. The deep crimson stood out against the pure white of the stag's fur._

_I sighed, content. Then suddenly, a figure stepped out of the trees._

_The same stranger from my dream before stood at the left edge of the clearing. Their face was covered in shadow and I couldn't tell who the person was, but I sensed danger. I knew I had to leave. NOW._

_Something different occurred next: a second figure appeared on the right side of the clearing— also shrouded in shade and darkness. The dream shifted and was now off of its previous course. Like a roller coaster escaping from the tracks, things were out of control. _

_The scene changed as morning approached. A soft lavender glow came from my far right over the trees. Both figures stepped out of the forest line, revealing themselves. I gasped at the revelation. To my left, stood the mysterious Volturi guard member…Felix. To my right, Embry appeared._

_I looked back to the left at Felix. He looked solemn and distraught. He wore black slacks and a charcoal dress shirt. He was cloaked in a cape that appeared to be made of pure midnight—as if the darkness was captured and spun into thread just for him. The dim, murky forest behind his form seemed to encase him. The boughs and branches of the trees looked like vast wings erupting from his shoulders. He raised a hand out to me, offering it. His crimson eyes swam in sorrow. My heart clenched for some reason unbeknownst to me._

_My gaze swept over to the right to find Embry. His chest was bare and he only wore a pair of cut-off shorts. The eastern rising sun was mostly hidden behind the trees that framed him. The few rays of sunshine that managed to escape from behind the massive evergreen trees had created a soft glow behind Embry. The bright aura made him appear like an angel that had come for me. The sun moved higher and higher, slowly as time wore on. Embry looked at me expectantly, a small smile on his face. His dimpled chin and warm brown eyes filled me with joy._

_Unexpectedly, the feeling of urgency returned. A cold chill gripped my chest and I felt fear take me. Something wasn't right. Both men called out to me at the same time, voices mingling and mixing in the breeze. Embry beckoned to me with his arm, smiling invitingly. "C'mon May!" he cheered with a smile. A smile of my own graced my face and I took a step towards him. My attention was snatched away as a voice came from the opposite direction. "May, please" Felix's smooth voice begged._

_I paused. To my left, lay darkness. To my right, was warmth and light. Where do I go from here?_

_The sky turned a soft peach as the sun lay just behind the tree tops. A sliver of sunlight poked its way through the brush and landed on Felix. His skin instantly mirrored the light—splitting it into rainbows of color and reflecting it in all directions. With the sun's presence, the sense of need and rush grew stronger._

_The tallest pine tree in the forest created a long shadow that stretched across the clearing and over me. With the sun unable to reach me quite yet, cold encased me and I felt lifeless. The two men called out to me louder and more frequently as the sun climbed higher and higher in the sky—struggling to break free from the tallest tree. Taking a step in one direction, choosing Embry, I stumbled over the corpse of the ivory stag. Catching myself, I looked down and gasped. The stag was gone. In its place, lay the murdered woman from the ravine last night. The same woman a rogue vampire had used as bait in order to catch me._

_I stood up abruptly from my fall, taken aback, just as the sun escaped from the confines of the tallest tree top. As the sun's rays encased me, light exploded. Sharp hues of every color reflected all around as my skin turned into diamonds._

_I looked up to see Felix smiling sadly. Our bodies sparkled vibrantly. Matching._

_We were both vampires._

I awoke from my dream with a start. I bolted upright into a sitting position, breathing heavily. My heart thudded wildly in my chest cavity like a frightened bird in a cage that was too small.

Realization hit me as I noticed that I could now move. I wasn't paralyzed anymore! Sighing in relief, I looked around the room. Renesmee was gone and her side of the bed was made. The curtains were drawn aside to let in the sun through the massive windows. Glancing down at my hands, I was thankful to find that they just simply took on a pearlescent sheen in the light. This was far from the vibrant, crystalline quality in my dream. After affirming the fact that I was still partially human, I continued to inspect the area. The leftover medical supplies and bandages that were on the table last night were all put away. My muddy shoes were missing as well. Esme must have cleaned up the room while I was asleep.

I yawned and figured that it must be early afternoon by the way the sun filtered into the open space. Testing out my injured shoulder, I found the pain to be dull and manageable as long as I took things easy.

A gentle knock sounded at the door and Bella stepped inside. She smiled gratefully and sighed, "I'm glad to see you awake. Nessie woke up an hour ago and is currently eating a late brunch downstairs. You can join her soon if you'd like. You just about slept through all of the sun we are to get for the entire week. Alice says it's going to be gone in a few moments."

Both of us glanced towards the window. Bella sparkled marvelously next to me but as the sun dimmed, so did her skin. "Oh! there it goes. It was only out for an hour," she stated. I gave her a soft smile and she then told me that I had time to shower before eating.

I thanked her and announced that I would be down in fifteen minutes. Right now, I _really _needed a shower badly. I was still covered in a layer of mud, grime, blood, and leaves. I wondered if I was even recognizable at this point.

She nodded, gave me a careful hug, and left me to it. I meandered down the hall from the medical supply room I was housed in and to my bedroom. I grabbed some simple, comfortable pants and a grey cotton v-neck shirt—along with some clean undergarments. Then, careful not to soak my bandages, I showered. The hot water and soap made me feel invigorated, boosting my mood up. I also rinsed off the necklace Embry had given to me. Dirt and blood came clean from the cord surprisingly easily. The charcoal wolf hung from it proudly, good as new.

After my shower, I toweled off and checked my bandages in the mirror. They were dirty and caked with dried blood. I frowned just as a knock came from my bedroom door.

"I'm changing! Hang on a sec, please" I called out.

A deep, clear voice responded through the door, "I know. Carlisle told me that your bandages need to be switched out for new ones and I offered to do it."

Embry.

I smiled and answered, "Let me just get some clothes on and I'll be out in a second!"

His voice called out again, "Actually…May, your bandages are gonna be rather difficult to change if you have a shirt on. It'll just get in the way. Last night, your shirt was practically shredded at the shoulder. Treating your wound at that time was much easier since there wasn't any fabric covering the area…" he trailed off.

Oh.

I heard his feet shift uncomfortably and he went on, "You can put some pants on and hold a towel in front of you if that helps. I just volunteered because, well, you're my imprint. My wolf wouldn't be very happy if it was anyone else treating your shoulder and seeing you partially exposed." He paused and muttered this last part, "My wolf—he's kind of stubborn when you're involved…"

I couldn't stop the grin from stretching its way across my face. Shuffling into a pair of underwear and pants, I grabbed my towel and headed towards the door. Holding the fluffy fabric against my chest, I tentatively cracked the door open.

Embry's warm, coppery eyes met mine. He held a small pile of gauze and medical tape in his hand. Peering down at me, he flashed an award winning grin my way. "I'm glad to see you are doing much better. How's the pain?"

I shrugged and then winced at the movement. I sighed, "Bearable. Hurts like hell if I touch it the slightest bit, but as long as I keep it immobile…it's manageable."

He frowned, stepping into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him. "You should ask Carlisle for some pain meds."

I nodded in agreement and made a note in my mind to get right on that. "How's Renesmee's wrist?"

"Carlisle removed her bandages earlier and now she has a significant scar. It should fade a little bit sometime within the next few days. You two heal slower than the pack members, but luckily, more rapidly than a regular human can" he answered and motioned for me to sit.

Keeping the towel firmly in place over my breasts, I sat down on the edge of my bed. The mattress lurched slightly as his tall frame sat down next to me and turned to face my left side. "May I?" he asked, raising a hand up towards my injured shoulder. I bit my lip and nodded nervously.

His warm hand gently brushed my dark, wet locks aside. Water dripped occasionally from the tips of my hair, the droplets cascading down my back and leaving goosebumps in their wake. A low growl was heard downstairs in the living room. Embry chuckled at this. "Edward is afraid I'm going to pounce on his new daughter." He continued to speak at the same audio level— knowing that Edward could hear him perfectly, "Don't worry. I'm always a perfect gentleman."

I blushed furiously at the revelation while Embry's gentle touch began to peel the old tape and gauze from my shoulder. "So….Edward said that you were having a nightmare earlier."

Memories from the horribly vivid dream came crashing back to me. I cringed slightly, "Yeah. It was nothing though. How does my shoulder look? Is it marred terribly?"

Embry gave me an odd look, knowing that I was changing the subject and downplaying my nightmare. "Your stitches aren't inflamed. No sign of infection. The skin seems to be healing rather well so far and you might be able to get the stitches removed in a few days. Carlisle will have to X-ray your shoulder in order to track the progress of your clavicle, though."

I nodded and bit my lip as he silently dabbed the area with an antiseptic and then followed with an antibiotic gel. He then began to unravel the rolls of clean gauze and prepare a new bandage when I spoke up with a reluctant sigh, "I dreamt I was a vampire."

Embry cut off a strip of gauze and chuckled, "You already _are _a vampire, May."

I shook my head softly. "No, I'm half human and half vampire. In my dream—my nightmare…I thought I had killed a deer. Moments later, the nightmare suddenly shifted and it turned out to be a woman. I killed a person! Then the sun emerged from behind the trees and my skin lit up like a disco ball."

Embry began to bind my shoulder while he spoke next, "It was only a dream, May. Accidentally killing someone in your dream doesn't make you a terrible person."

I looked down at my feet. I had forgotten, Embry doesn't know that I had killed three people during my growth spurts. Renesmee and Edward knew, but I hadn't told anyone else.

Embry finished the bandage by applying medical tape to the edges of the gauze. He kissed my shoulder chastely before standing up and offering me a hand. "So…was I in your dream?" he mused, raising an eyebrow playfully.

Keeping one arm on the towel covering my chest, I took his hand and stood up. "Nope" I squeaked out, lying. He chuckled and prodded me toward the bathroom so I could change. I closed the door, snapped on a bra, and shrugged into my cotton v-neck. I brushed through my hair with a comb just as a loud, alarming howl sounded from outside. A tiny gasp came from the kitchen downstairs—Alice.

Opening the bathroom door and giving a quizzical look to a flustered Embry, the bedroom door soon slammed open. Edward stood there in the doorway, appearing alarmed. "The Volturi. They're here."

Before I could blink, Edward snatched my coat from my closet in a flash and began helping me to put my arms through the sleeves. At the same time, Embry grabbed my boots and helped me to step into them—he even zipped them up for me.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house was in chaos. I heard Renesmee, Jacob, and Bella in the kitchen downstairs. Breakfast was forgotten as Bella tossed the plates into the sink. Silverware clattered and chairs scuffed against the wood floors. Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme were flashing around the house, preparing the few pack members that were already in the house for brunch. Rosalie was with Emmet while he called Nahuel and told him that he was needed here as soon as possible—under Alice's instructions.

Then, in and instant, everyone began speeding out of the house.

Edward grabbed my hand and Embry followed closely as we sped through the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door. After ten seconds of running at vampire speed, of course, I found myself to be in a field. We were all clustered at the south side of the clearing. When Bella's eyes landed on me with Edward, she rushed towards us.

"Oh, good! Edward, you've got her. May… don't be scared. We're all going to be fine, okay? Alice is watching as best as she can. So far, they're just here to talk. We have five minutes until they arrive" she spoke clearly and calmly.

Alice is watching as _best _as she _can_? Is she having problems seeing?

I glanced over to the tiny, porcelain doll that had just recently become my aunt. She and Jasper were leaning on each other. Her eyes were closed and brows puckered in deep concentration.

Renesmee stepped forward, Jacob close behind, and hugged me. She smelled like summer, strawberries, and vanilla. Her auburn ringlets tickled my arms as we embraced. As she pulled away, she looked me clear in the eyes and spoke, "You may not remember ever meeting them—since your only encounters were at a young age…but please don't be frightened. Aro can be intimidating but if you stay calm and level headed, things can run a lot smoother. Try not to draw any more attention to yourself than needed. We'll be okay." She assured me with a tight smile and soon Carlisle began calling everyone into formation. "Four minutes," he announced.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice made up the front line. Bella, Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, Embry, and I were in the second line. Emmet and Rosalie formed the third line.

"Three minutes!" Alice chirped.

Wolves began to pour out of the woods like water leaking from a dam. Flashes of sand, copper, chocolate, smoke, and ochre came into the clearing. Seth, Brady, Collin, Leah, and Quil came into view. They made up the fourth row to flank our position. Both packs melded together in the time of need.

Embry turned to me and began to button up my jacket. His warm eyes were trained on my face as he spoke. "Don't worry, May. I'll be here." He smiled as he adjusted my wolf necklace and smoothed my damp hair from my face. I squeezed his hand for an instant before he took a few steps away from me. "I'll always be here," he whispered, then exploded out of his clothes and into his wolf form. Jacob quickly followed suit.

After shifting, Jacob and Embry then drew closer to Renesmee and I. Embry's shoulders were taller than my height by at least a foot. He towered over me protectively and I felt slightly soothed just by standing under his shadow.

"Two minutes," Edward stated. "Bella, please cover us with your shield." She nodded eagerly and followed his instruction. I remember Renesmee informing me of her mother's remarkable ability to block mental assaults with a shield that she could also project. This should come in handy with Jane's and Demetri's gifts since Jane could trick your brain into thinking you were in pain, while Demetri tracked a person by the 'flavor' of their mind.

I glanced backwards to give the group a once over. One last, small handful of wolves flew out of the trees from every direction. Paul, Jared, and Sam. I guess this would be Sam's last shift before retirement. Paul and Jared only had a few more years before they, too, would permanently pause the change into a wolf.

My eyes caught a silent, somber form standing in between Leah and Seth far behind me.

Nahuel.

His muscles seemed rigid as he battled his thirst, eyes glued onto my back. Leah appeared alert and her gaze was trained on his every move. Her wolfy head ducked slightly in a nod towards Embry and I. She then turned her attention back to Nahuel. Leah gave a warning growl each time his knuckles clenched in concentration.

"One minute," Edward uttered in a cold, serious tone.

Snapping my attention away from Nahuel, I followed Edward's gaze towards the tree line half a mile away. The afternoon was cool, dark, and foggy since the sun left. The forest was silent—not a song from a single bird was to be heard.

I brought my hand up to run my fingers through Embry's fur one last time before the Volturi's arrival. Embry made a low hum in his chest that sounded like a purr and he leaned into my touch. Abruptly, his head snapped forward.

Moments later…dark, hooded figures broke through the trees. They stalked forward at a slow rate, a human's simple walking pace. Ghosting through the rolling clouds of mist, they approached. I counted fifteen black figures—three in the front of the rank, five in the second row, seven in the last. The group strode towards us at a frustratingly slow pace until, finally, they stopped in the center of the field twenty yards away. All at once, as if perfectly choreographed, they dropped their hoods at the same time.

The front row of three was made up of a man with long, dark brown hair and another with pin-straight, platinum blonde hair. In the middle of the two stood a slender man with shoulder length, inky black hair that was slicked backwards to reveal a widows peak in his hairline. All three had bright crimson eyes.

The man in the center stepped forward and clasped his hands together as he spoke, "Hello! My dear friends. Yet again, we meet under peculiar circumstances!"

At that moment, Renesmee gripped my hand in hers. Her voice filled my head, yet her lips remained unmoving. _'Aro,'_ her voice called to me in a whisper, echoing like a haunting breeze. _'Aro…Aro…his name…name…is Aro.'_

I blinked, stunned. This was something I didn't know about her gift. She could clue me in on the situation easily without speaking aloud. Skin-to-skin contact could send her thoughts to me without necessarily needing to actually _show _me a memory.

The vampire—Aro, spoke up again, "Our intent…is not to fight or battle you. No! We just came for a little chit chat." His voice was high and unnaturally cheerful. I didn't trust him.

Apparently, neither did Edward. He spoke up calmly, "I believe you came for other reasons besides just a simple chat, Aro."

The black haired stranger, obviously the leader, turned towards the two by his side and shared a smile with them. _'Caius…Caius…Mar…Marcus' _ Renesmee informed me.

Aro spoke again, "Edward…always so intuitive. Not any more!"

Confused, I turned my gaze towards Edward. He looked stunned and his face was twisted into a terrible mixture of puzzled and perplexed. He soon regained his composure and smoothed out his facial features. "Am I right in guessing that you got yourself a new guard member? One who can block my capabilities?" he countered.

Aro smiled, "Yes I do. In fact, said person will be revealed to you all shortly. But for now, I believe I need to ask your daughter a question. Where is she? The young Renesmee?"

I looked downwards, not wishing to draw attention as Renesmee broke her contact with me. She took a step forward and called out, "I am here, Aro."

The man cheered and laughed lightly, clapping his hands together. "Young Renesmee isn't so little anymore! Come, dear. Please tell us all how old you are. We are just _dying _to know!" he motioned with a wide wave of his arm at the group behind him.

I glanced sideways at Edward and Bella. Both of them looked worried, gripping each others hands tightly. Edward gave Renesmee a curt nod and she then stepped forward. Awing me with how brave she appeared, Renesmee tilted her chin upwards slightly and uttered, "I am nine years old now. My birthday was just a month and a half ago."

Silence fell around us.

Aro's joyful grin slowly melted into a disappointed sneer. His hands were still clasped together as he frowned in distaste. "Please come forward so I can make sure of that," he demanded softly.

Renesmee looked backwards at her parents, giving them a tight smile, before walking carefully towards the Volturi leader. Bella frowned and regretfully removed her mental shield from Nessie for Aro. Once Renesmee was there, he hastily grasped her hand in his and covered it with the other. Eyes closed, he concentrated.

"She does not lie" he stated, unhappy at the revelation. He dropped her hand quickly, as if it had burned him. "Thank you, dear, you may go" he dismissed Renesmee. She looked confused and strode back over to us. The vampire to Aro's left, Marcus, sighed and drawled out lazily, "Then this visit was wasted."

"No," Aro growled lowly, "I believe we have a second option! Where is May? May Miller?" he called out.

**AN-Whoo! The Volturi have finally arrived! Please review and tell me what you thought! Don't forget to follow my story so you don't get lost in chapter updates!**


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